Timothy Garton Ash, Ivan Krastev, and Mark Leonard write:

When Donald Trump returns to the White House, much of the world will welcome him. In Europe, anxiety is widespread, but people in many other countries feel either relaxed or actively positive about Trump’s second term. This is the remarkable finding of a major new poll conducted in November 2024—directly after the US presidential election—for the European Council on Foreign Relations and Oxford University’s Europe in a Changing World research project, the third in a series of such global surveys.

Our poll of 28,549 people across 24 countries revealed four things. First, Europeans are almost alone in mourning Trump’s election. Second, many people in other countries seem to see a Trump-led US as a “normal” great power among many in an à la carte world. Third, many also believe the president-elect is committed to ending wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. And fourth, much of the world regards Europe as more powerful than Europeans themselves do. They say the European Union is able to act on equal terms with the US and China.

To wield the influence within their grasp, Europeans need to recognise the advent of a more transactional world. Rather than attempt to lead a global liberal opposition to Trump, they should understand their own strengths and deal with the world as they find it. [Continue reading…]