Decades-long alliance on the rocks? Europe's defense dilemma

An almost 80-year-long alliance — could it really change overnight? A new US strategic report seems to have handed Europe what amounts to an eviction notice. The Trump administration recently released the latest US National Security Strategy, which openly questions Europe's future reliability as an ally. It warns of the region's economic stagnation and even suggests that Europe faces the prospect of "civilizational erasure". This dismissal of Europe's strategic capability has become Washington's excuse to offload security responsibilities, a way to lighten its own burden. Gone are the days of "collective defense". Now, Europe is told not only to defend itself but also to spend tens of billions on American weapons just to keep US security guarantees under the NATO framework. No wonder some European analysts say it's easier for America to bully its allies.