Here in Belgium we think that we understand surrealism. But it can still be confusing, it can shock and it can also lead to the discovery of unexpected and unwelcome interpretations that change our view of the world. In my opinion there are four clear outcomes from last Friday’s highly publicised shouting match televised at the White House between the man with no suit, and the suit with no man:-
- diplomacy has been replaced by the modern equivalent of the megaphone (social media) with the added complication that nobody knows who or what messages to believe.
- the alignment of the commercial interests of Presidents Trump and Putin now present the free world with the challenge of how to deal with the most shocking of global alliances since the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact in 1939.
- the rules based global order has been seriously damaged.
- Europe must quickly reform its security architecture and its global alliances to take account of the reduction of support from the USA.
In Europe we face a huge shift in Foreign and Security policy, and it is uncertain what the future holds, but this is no time for the faint hearted, and the strongest possible EU unity will be called for.
