Trump-Europe: Towards a New World Order
Abdelhak Azzouzi
By Dr. Abdelhak Azzouzi
With the second term of US President Donald Trump, the global order has entered a new era. We have witnessed broad geopolitical changes in Europe and in NATO's objectives. We may enter an era in which three blocs are established in the world: the United States, Russia, and China. However, chaos and conflict may spread across the international arena, and every region of the world will adapt unsteadily to the new configuration of power.
No one could have predicted that President Trump would create such a major crack in the wall of the new world order, nor would all these strategic changes in the world, especially in Europe, which have occurred to the point that the EU leaders are now gripped by a deep existential fear, as they live between the anvil of the necessity of maintaining friendship with the U.S. and the hammer of European strategic military independence.
The EU has awakened to a new reality
Former US President Biden was generously and enthusiastically sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine, without financial compensation. He reassured his allies in Europe that NATO was a military umbrella protected by American intelligence and fueled by the latest American military technology. Europeans were thus safe from being caught in their volatility, as they were neither helpless nor fearful but, with US President Trump everything changed.
Europeans found themselves with a man sitting on the throne of the White House, holding the reins of full executive power. Every day, he issues decisions that he signs without regard for the literature on the separation of powers in American history, amidst the astonishing and unprecedented silence of the Democrats.
They found themselves dealing with a smart businessman, skilled in negotiations, and unafraid of the consequences. He views Europe's meager contribution to its defense as if the U.S. was the guardian among nations. He began the process of disciplining and taming the Ukrainians, leading to the unprecedented public altercation between him and the Ukrainian President Zelensky in the White House's Oval Office. This confrontation was broadcast live by international media, causing astonishment and panic in many countries, especially EU allies.
Washington immediately changed its position on the Russian-Ukrainian war and froze its military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv. That night did not pass before successive meetings of European leaders began, driven only by one wing of the European Union, namely France, after the other wing, namely Germany, was afflicted with difficult internal political problems. The result was that EU leaders agreed on a plan to rearm Europe, allocating approximately 800 billion euros, a large portion of which will certainly be allocated to purchasing U.S. weapons.
The problem is not the financial resources that European taxpayers will reluctantly provide, but rather it is related to production capacity. Europe cannot produce weapons on a large scale; arms factories are few compared to their American, Russian, or Chinese counterparts. There is a need to build new facilities, develop supply chains, and manufacture raw materials to keep pace with demand. The Ukrainians will also allow the United States to exploit Ukraine's rare earth minerals to cover the military expenses of former President Biden's administration for the benefit of the Ukrainians. According to the German Kiel Institute, Washington alone provided approximately half of the value of military aid to Ukraine from 2022 to 2024.
The winner today is President Trump's America par excellence, and the biggest loser is Ukraine and Europe. This equation will continue because even if Europe spends all the money in the world on its armaments, it cannot do without America, its weapons, its intelligence, its spy satellites, its surveillance systems, its hegemony, and its central and policing role in NATO and the world.
Another problem troubling European allies is that the world has entered a phase of uncertainty, apprehension, ambiguity, and doubt more than ever before. This is because they do not know what President Trump hides in his heart and does not reveal to them. He always demands more because he is in a state of strength and does not care about diplomatic, economic, and commercial norms and traditions. He sanctifies the principle of "America First" and seeks to change the global order that nations have become accustomed to and that theorists have envisioned for decades.
Trump makes unprecedented and successive decisions
To recall that, in forty days only, the US president issued 79 executive orders, equivalent to the total number of decrees issued by Biden during his first year in the White House. All of this falls within the framework of the American Trump doctrine based on "reviving the American dream" and the subsequent strict immigration policies, as well as other economic policies based on imposing tariffs on countries such as Canada, Mexico, and the EU.
Together, these policies are changing the global order, destabilizing markets and stock exchanges, laying off workers, and affecting the future of the ruling parties in these countries.
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Egypt Independent
23 minutes ago
- Egypt Independent
Russian forces claim new advance deeper into Ukraine, amid dispute over dead soldiers
Kyiv CNN — Russia claimed Sunday that its forces are for the first time pushing into the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, an area it has been trying to reach for months, in a move that could create new problems for Kyiv's much-stretched forces. Subunits from the Russian military's 90th tank division reached the border of Dnipropetrovsk with the Donetsk region, large parts of which are already under Russian occupation, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. After this, they continued into Dnipropetrovsk, the defense ministry claimed. The extent of the advance is unclear, as are Moscow's ambitions for the assault. CNN is unable to verify the battlefield reports, and Ukraine has denied the Russian advance. Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia forces, which is in command of the area Moscow alleged it broke through, told CNN that 'the Russians are constantly spreading false information that they have entered the Dnipropetrovsk region from the Pokrovsk and Novopavlivka directions, but (in neither place) is this information true.' But if confirmed, the Russian advance would be a setback for Ukrainian forces at a time when peace talks have stalled. Russian forces have also in recent weeks made incremental progress in the northern Sumy region, as well as near Lyman in Donetsk. The Russian advance would also put further pressure on the Ukrainians' grip on the town of Pokrovsk, a key hub that has been under Russian assault for months. Ukraine's General Staff said Sunday morning that its troops had stopped 65 'offensive' Russian actions in the Pokrovsk direction. An Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessment of Russia's offensive campaign found that Russian forces continued their offensive operations in the Pokrovsk direction on Saturday, but did not advance. Russia now controls just under one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, according to the Ukrainian analysis group Deep State. That includes Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine that were occupied before Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, said that Russia pushed forward with the Dnipropetrovsk offensive after Ukraine refused to recognize Russia's territorial gains during the peace talks in Istanbul. 'Anyone who does not want to acknowledge the realities of war in negotiations will receive new realities on the ground,' Medvedev said on Telegram. Dnipropetrovsk is bordered by three regions that are partially occupied by Russia – Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. One of Russia's declared goals is capturing all three regions. It already occupies all but a slither of a fourth region, Luhansk. Dnipropetrovsk is more sparsely populated and rural than those four regions, known as the Donbas, and will be more difficult to defend. It is an important mining and logistics center and had an estimated population of three million before the war began. Russia's claim comes days after its forces advanced further in the northern Sumy region, bringing the region's capital within range of drones and artillery. While capturing the region's capital city, also named Sumy, is likely beyond what Moscow is setting out to do, the move underlines the pressure Kyiv is under, from the northern border to the Black Sea. Failed prisoner swap Russia's advances in Ukraine come as the two countries clashed after a planned swap of prisoners of war failed to take place on Saturday. Moscow accused Kyiv of unexpectedly postponing a transfer involving prisoners of war and the bodies of dead soldiers, leaving hundreds of Ukrainian bodies in refrigerated trucks waiting to be collected from an exchange point. Ukrainian officials rejected this account, saying that the two sides had agreed to exchange seriously wounded and young troops on Saturday but a date had not yet been set for the repatriation of soldiers' remains. During a second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on Monday, Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange more prisoners this weekend. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, said that his country was strictly adhering to the agreements reached in Istanbul and that the start of 'repatriation measures' is scheduled to take place next week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted that Ukraine is doing everything possible to ensure the release of prisoners and the return of the soldiers' bodies. 'Unfortunately, there are still no complete lists from Russia for a thousand plus people – which we agreed on in Istanbul,' he said. 'Fighting like crazy' The conflict has intensified in recent weeks. Ukraine conducted an audacious drone attack that took out multiple aircraft inside Russia last Sunday, as well as a strike on the bridge connecting Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula using underwater explosives on Monday. Russian forces have also advanced further into Ukraine, attempting to grab territory quickly as peace talks between the warring countries continue. Delegations representing Kyiv and Moscow met in Istanbul on Monday for a second round of peace negotiations, but there were no major breakthroughs, with talks lasting a little over an hour. Critics have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging out peace negotiations so that his country can grab more Ukrainian land. Despite his insistence that he wants an end to the fighting, Putin has refused to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, instead proposing a much narrower ceasefire, lasting just two or three days in certain parts of the frontline. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly told Russia and Ukraine there will be consequences if they don't engage in his peace process, although he has so far resisted growing calls from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers to use sanctions to pressure Putin into winding down his war. On Thursday, Trump compared the warring states to children fighting, telling reporters: 'Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy. They hate each other, and they're fighting in a park, and you try and pull them apart. They don't want to be pulled. Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart.' He said that only he would know when the right time to apply sanctions on Russia would be, even suggesting he'd be willing to use new punitive measures on Ukraine if the war doesn't end. 'We'll be very, very, very tough, and it could be on both countries to be honest,' Trump said. 'You know, it takes two to tango.'
Egypt Independent
23 minutes ago
- Egypt Independent
Trump seizes on Los Angeles protests in contentious use of military amid migrant crackdown
CNN — This is the showdown the White House has been waiting for. Unrest sparked by federal immigration raids in Los Angeles provided a questionable catalyst for President Donald Trump to stage a demonstration of military force. His deployment of National Guard troops, against the wishes of California's governor and LA's mayor — both Democrats — appears at this point to be mostly for show, intended to create the perception of the administration getting tough. But the reservists' presence at a fraught, politicized moment could worsen tensions and even become a trip wire that prompts more aggressive administration action. Northern Command said Sunday evening that 500 US Marines were now on 'prepared to deploy' status ahead of what would be a stunning and constitutionally dubious escalation if they were to show up in Los Angeles. Weekend protests saw law enforcement officers in riot gear use tear gas and flash bangs to disperse crowds in downtown Los Angeles and the nearby city of Paramount. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said demonstrators threw objects and were violent toward federal agents and deputy sheriffs. Trump is relishing his response. 'Order will be restored, the Illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free,' the president posted on Truth Social on Sunday. He seems to be eyeing political objectives that go beyond the immediate situation in Los Angeles, which, compared with historical precedents, hardly seems to justify a unilateral presidential intervention. He is delivering a warning to Democratic jurisdictions nationwide that oppose his deportation moves. And he's not simply demonstrating his desire to militarize his crackdown on undocumented migrants, which he promised in the 2024 campaign despite legal constraints. He's implying he'll use the military, specifically the National Guard, to act against protest and dissent — a prospect that is troubling in a democratic society. Trump's move on Saturday is also a hint that he's willing to trample tradition and potentially constitutional limits down the line and that he wants to exploit what Republicans see as Democratic weakness on public order. And it buttresses the authoritarian image-making of a strongman commander in chief who ended last week ringside at a UFC fight and who will cap this week with tanks rumbling through the capital, on his birthday, at a parade ostensibly marking the Army's 250th anniversary. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Morristown, New Jersey, on June 8, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images Trump barges in on California's problem Trump gave the order to send 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles after several days of protests and unrest following Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that netted dozens of arrests. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Saturday night that the move was necessary because of the failure of California authorities to protect federal immigration officials and their own citizens. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez and Betsy Klein reported that White House officials first decided to rush federal agents and resources to Los Angeles to protect ICE agents and guard one of the federal buildings where protests gathered. On Saturday evening, the decision was taken to send in the guard. Despite the heated rhetoric of administration officials and Republican lawmakers on Sunday, however, there were few signs that disorder is raging out of control or that local authorities cannot cope. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has accused Trump of taking a 'purposefully inflammatory' step, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said National Guard deployments were not 'called for.' And by the standards of outbursts of unrest in the US over the past few decades, the situation in Los Angeles does not appear especially acute. On Sunday, National Guard troops took up positions in three locations in Los Angeles, in what appeared to be the first instance in decades of reservists being deployed by a president without coordination with a governor. CNN crews captured California National Guard troops, operating under the authority of Trump rather than Newsom after the president called them into federal service, pushing back demonstrators outside a detention center. A federal officer was seen firing what appeared to be a gas canister. The stationing of troops at federal facilities is a potentially significant distinction since they were not initially being used in active law enforcement. Such a step would infringe on the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars federal troops from participating in law enforcement unless specifically authorized by the law or Congress. Even in this case, though, the legal situation is not definitive. The administration has not so far invoked the Insurrection Act, which in some circumstances permits the president to use the military to end an insurrection or rebellion of federal power in a state. An objective analysis of the situation in Los Angeles suggests no such extreme disorder yet. But one top administration official seems to be choosing his language with precision. Domestic policy adviser Stephen Miller posted on X that there were two choices: 'Deport the invaders, or surrender to insurrection.' The echoing of the Insurrection Act by a powerful administration figure who claims an 'invasion' of migrants justifies Trump's use of emergency and all but unlimited executive power is probably not a coincidence. The president doubled down in a Sunday Truth Social post, claiming 'violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking' federal agents. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta look on during a news conference on April 16, 2025, in Ceres, the situation plays into Trump's political goals The National Guard deployment clearly risks politicizing the military. But it's a political no-brainer for the White House. Images of troops in combat gear, and the administration's vows to enforce order if local leaders won't, boost Trump's tough-guy image, which is an important factor in his appeal to his supporters. It bolsters Republican claims of fecklessness in liberal-run cities that have been plagued by homelessness and crime. By sending troops in over Newsom's head, Trump escalates his feud with the governor, who is one of the most prominent national Democrats at a time when Trump is threatening to pull federal funding to the state. This may also serve as a warning to other blue states that they could see the militarization of the deportation program if they don't cooperate. Then there's the distraction factor. The theatrics of troop arrivals may help disguise the fact that deportations have yet to reach the levels some supporters likely hoped for. And at a dicey political moment, following his public estrangement from Elon Musk and with doubts hanging over his massive domestic spending bill, escalating an immigration controversy serves to change the subject for Trump. Immigration has long been one of his reliable political havens. Still, a new CBS poll Sunday showed that while a majority approve of Trump's goals on the issue, 56% fault his approach. Republicans drive home political message Top Republicans were quick to back Trump's California moves after days when Washington was consumed by the president's psychodrama with Musk. 'You have a very weak, lawless-leaning governor in Gov. Newsom, who's not enforcing the nation's laws,' Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma told CNN's Dana Bash on 'State of the Union.' He went on, 'The president has made it very clear: If the governor or the mayor of the city isn't willing to protect the citizens of his state or the city, then the president will.' Another Republican senator, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, had few concerns about using National Guard troops. 'You provide massive manpower to prevent violence,' he told Bash. 'It would be nice if Democrat politicians wouldn't keep stirring it up and keep asking people to go out there and protest against lawful law enforcement actions. That's kind of hard to stomach.' Oklahoma's other Republican senator, James Lankford, said on NBC's 'Meet the Press' that Trump was trying to 'de-escalate all the tensions' by sending troops. Democrats, however, lashed out at Trump's move. 'My concern, of course, is that this inflames the situation and that he is hellbent on inflaming the situations,' Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said on CBS' 'Face the Nation.' 'Individual governors look at their states. They make decisions,' Klobuchar said. 'But in this case, the president, time and time again, has shown this willingness to, one, violate the law, as we've seen across the country in many different situations outside of the immigration context. And two, inflame situations.' Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, warned on 'State of the Union' that 'we have a president who is moving this country rapidly into authoritarianism.' Sanders added: 'This guy wants all of the power. He does not believe in the Constitution. He does not believe in the rule of law … he thinks he has a right to do anything he wants.' Protesters block the 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles on June 8, 2025. Eric Thayer/AP Hegseth inflames the situation Concerns Trump is flexing authoritarian impulses and that the administration would relish confrontations that allow it to move in this direction were underscored by a post on X by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He wrote that if violence continued, 'Active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert.' A threat by the defense secretary to deploy a force whose battle honors include Belleau Wood, Iwo Jima and Fallujah onto American streets does not only offend principles of democratic republican government. It would almost certainly be illegal, unless Trump invokes the Insurrection Act. At this point, the conditions of that legislation look nowhere near being met. Trump said Sunday he was not yet ready to invoke the act. Still, all this is chilling given his warning last year that he'd be prepared to use the military against 'the enemy from within.' This also comes after four months in which the administration has used questionable presidential power to target institutions from law firms to universities to the media. And it has used contentious national emergencies declared to unlock authorities on trade and immigration. Common Defense, the country's largest grassroots veterans organization, condemned Trump's deployment of the California National Guard. 'The militarized response to protests in Los Angeles is a dangerous escalation that undermines civil rights and betrays the principles we swore to uphold,' said Naveed Shah, the group's political director and a US Army veteran. Hegseth's post underscores one reason why critics regarded him as unsuitable to serve as defense secretary — the fear he'd do anything that Trump told him to, unlike first-term Pentagon chief Mark Esper, who wrote in his book that the president asked whether troops could shoot in the legs demonstrators who gathered at the White House amid the George Floyd protests. Hegseth dodged in his confirmation hearing when repeatedly asked by Hawaii Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono whether he'd carry out such an order from Trump. And he also hedged when asked by Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin whether he agreed that there were some orders a president may give that were unconstitutional. 'I am not going to get ahead of conversations I would have with the president. However, there are laws and processes inside our Constitution that would be followed,' Hegseth said. Little in Hegseth's tenure so far suggests he'd stand up against any of the president's more extreme ideas. That's one reason why Trump's unilateral deployment of reserve troops to Los Angeles seems like the initial thrust of an expanding administration effort to use the military in a domestic context.
Al-Ahram Weekly
an hour ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
US, China seek to extend trade truce with London talks - Economy
After a round of talks in Geneva last month, the United States and China will sit down at the negotiating table in London on Monday to attempt to preserve a fragile truce on trade, despite simmering tensions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will lead the US delegation, President Donald Trump announced Friday. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng -- who led Beijing's negotiating team in Geneva -- will also head the team in London, China's foreign ministry announced at the weekend. "The meeting should go very well," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. His press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told Fox News on Sunday: "We want China and the United States to continue moving forward with the agreement that was struck in Geneva." While the government of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated that it was not involved in the content of the discussions in any way, a spokesperson said, "We are a nation that champions free trade." UK authorities "have always been clear that a trade war is in nobody's interests, so we welcome these talks," the spokesperson added. 'Correcting the course' The talks in London come just a few days after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping finally held their first publicly announced telephone talks since the Republican returned to the White House. Trump said the call, which took place on Thursday, had reached a "very positive conclusion." Xi was quoted by state-run news agency Xinhua as saying that "correcting the course of the big ship of Sino-US relations requires us to steer well and set the direction." The call came after tensions between the world's two biggest economies had soared, with Trump accusing Beijing of violating a tariff de-escalation deal reached in Geneva in mid-May. "We need China to comply with their side of the deal. And so that's what the trade team will be discussing tomorrow," Leavitt said Sunday. In April, Trump introduced sweeping worldwide tariffs that targeted China most heavily. At one point the United States hit China with additional levies of 145 percent on its goods as both sides engaged in tit-for-tat escalation. China's countermeasures on US goods reached 125 percent. Then in Switzerland, after two days of talks, the two sides agreed to slash their staggeringly high tariffs for 90 days. But differences have persisted, including over China's restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals used in tech products. The impact was reflected in the latest official export data released Monday in Beijing. Exports to the United States fell 12.7 percent on month in May, with China shipping $28.8 billion worth in goods last month. This is down from $33 billion in April, according to Beijing's General Administration of Customs. 'Green channel' Throughout its talks with Washington, China also has launched discussions with other trading partners -- including Japan and South Korea -- in a bid to build a united front to counter Trump's tariffs. On Thursday, Beijing turned to Canada, with the two sides agreeing to regularize their channels of communication after a period of strained ties. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese Premier Li Qiang also discussed trade and the fentanyl crisis, Ottawa said. Beijing proposed establishing a "green channel" to ease the export of rare earths to the European Union, and fast-tracking approval of some export licenses. That proposal from the commerce ministry in Beijing came after talks on Tuesday between China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic. China is expected to host a summit with the EU in July, marking 50 years since Beijing and Brussels established diplomatic ties. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
