Donald Trump He has never made a secret of his contempt for theEurope. He defined it parasite of the American protection, threatened to withdraw NATO support and repeatedly stressed how tired of paying the account for our safety. Strong words, but this brutal frankness offers us a historical opportunity which should be caught.
Friendship with the United States was born from their victory in the Second World War. The Americans did not land in Sicily to make us a favor or to get rid of us: they came to fight us, because we Italians had had the brilliant idea of declaring their war. When things got hurt, we made a change of field which, however sacrosanct, remains in fact a betrayal of the previous allies. As a result, the relationship with Washington was built on a basis of subjection, rather than a real partnership.
From the Marshall floor onwards, the States United They have invested in Europe not by philanthropic spirit, but to ensure a bastion against the Soviet Union. In exchange for American security, we agreed to be an economic and military protectorate, with limited sovereignty and freedom of action conditioned to Washington’s interests.
To date, any European attempt to free oneself from American protection would have been branded as ingratitude except as a hostile act.
Now Trump says that we have to arrange ourselves and, instead of complaining about it, we should grasp a historical occasion, certainly not to become the US antagonists (who will never be wise neither necessary nor useful), but for redefine a relationship Which, however reassuring, has never been equal.
If Europe is no longer a priority for Washington, then we can (and we must) build a true independent power, with an economy, a common defense and a foreign policy that respond to our interests, not only to the American ones.
Since it is not we who want to free ourselves from the Americans, but They are the ones who let us gofor the first time, a more autonomous Europe would not be perceived as a threat from the United States, but as their own hope.
It would not be easy or cheap, but history has already shown us what it means to depend on the protection of an ally that, in the end, primarily pursues (legitimately) its convenience. Trump humiliates us, but the real gun is to need him to remind us that Europe has to finally wake up and walk on their legs.
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