The US–EU relationship in the context of security challenges in the Middle East under the D. Trump presidency.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31558/2519-2949.2020.1.14Keywords:
the USA, the EU, the Middle East, problems of security, D. TrumpAbstract
The purpose of this article is to analyze the transatlantic relations in the Middle East under the D. Trump administration. The research presents comparative analysis of US and EU policy toward main regional security issues – the Iranian nuclear program, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Syrian crisis. It also examines the differences in American and European approaches to these problems and their impact on the transatlantic relations.
The author came into conclusion that under the D. Trump presidency the contradictions between two actors in the Middle East have deepened. This was due to D. Trump's abrupt departure from the policies of his predecessors, as well as to his unilateral decision making. А series of contradictory steps by the American president were not supported by European allies: withdrawal from the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program; US unconditional support to Israel, including the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights; the decision to withdraw troops from Syria.
While the United States is showing a declining interest in the Middle East, the importance of the region for European security is growing. Trump administration’s unilateral steps, as well as the differences in US and European views on important regional security issues, will require a more independent policy on the part of the European Union. However, a number of objective circumstances, above all, contradictions within the EU itself, do not allow it to act as an effective actor in the Middle East. If US involvement in the region wanes, Europe will increasingly be pushed to work with alternative powers, such as Russia and China, to further its interests.
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