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Whose problem? The looming US-Europe divorce is Asia’s headache too
As transatlantic ties fray, a Europe scrambling for self-reliance may prove as ‘me-first’ as the United States. Just ask Malaysia, left in the lurch by Norway on a missile deal.
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House with President Donald Trump on March 3. For decades, many Asian militaries have counted on European manufacturers, including Germany’s ThyssenKrupp, as serious and reliable partners.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Is the fact that the US and Europe are inching closer to the d-word – divorce – something that might actually hold a silver lining for Asia?
This is among the working assumptions one increasingly hears from optimists assessing the ongoing readjustments to the global order. While these voices readily accept the disruptions caused by America’s wrecking-ball approach to old alliances and institutions, the view is that Europe’s sudden awakening in response could be a strategic boon.
