Written by K.-P. Ludwig The strategic trajectory of the United States is becoming increasingly explicit as the current administration advances into its second term. Washington’s security focus is shifting decisively toward the Indo-Pacific and a long-term competition with China, a shift underscored by recent punitive measures such as the strict sanctioning of Venezuelan oil exports, including those destined for Chinese markets. Within this framework, Europe is no longer viewed by the US as “a security beneficiary” but as a region expected to assume greater responsibility for its own defence. These are blunt words, but in practice they mean that European NATO members are expected to function as semi-autonomous pillars within a U.S.-led deterrence architecture.
