The Transatlantic Alliance in the Midst of COVID-19: Missing (In)Action?
Author Max Bergmann examines the potential impacts of the coronavirus crisis on populism and the trans-Atlantic relationship between the United States and Europe.
Even before the COVID-19 crisis, the transatlantic relationship was in terrible shape. President Trump’s hostility to Europe had caused relations to crater, there was an escalating trade war, the UK left the EU, and Emmanuel Macron called NATO brain dead. Meanwhile, Germany, Europe’s largest country, was essentially missing in action. The question now is whether COVID-19 will be the straw that breaks the alliance’s back or whether it is the wake-up call to rejuvenate US-European relations.
It is impossible to predict the impact of COVID-19 on the transatlantic alliance – let alone the world. The planet hasn’t experienced such global disruption since WWII. Yet, it is likely that this pandemic will accelerate many of the global and national trends that were already apparent before the crisis hit.
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