On 12 October 2022, a new National Security Strategy Document was published by the White House with the signature of United States (US) President Joe Biden.[1] The document contains important clues about the future of Trans-Atlantic relations, as well as focuses on the global goals of the Washington administration regarding the limitation of Russia and China.
As you will recall, the most significant election pledge was to repair the damage done in relations with Europe under Donald Trump. For as much as this case is pretty essential for the sustainability of American hegemony. The global hegemony of the United State has two bases. The first of them is the Asia-Pacific, which the famous geopolitician Zbigniew Brzezinski describes as the “Far East Anchor”; the second is Europe, which Brzezinski defines as the “Democratic Pillar.”
The efforts of Europe to position itself as a polar in the multipolar world, which became clear during the Trump era, and the European Army discussions in this context, seem to have fallen off the agenda with the Russia-Ukraine War and left their place to a process that strengthens the collective perception of the West. Naturally, this is a particular that gets easy to fulfill the election pledge. In this context, the 12 October 2022 National Security Strategy Document, is very vital in terms of revealing the importance the Biden administration attaches to relations with Continental Europe.
In the incipit of the paper, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has displayed a stronger unity than ever before, Biden stated that relations with Europe have been deepened.[2] Certainly, these sentences mean that the damage which has been in the Trump era has been repaired on a vast scale. In this framework, claiming that the aggressive policies of the Moscow administration threaten the European security architecture, the US President[3] has also revealed that he will effectively use the Russia-Ukraine War to revive and keep alive the traditional “other” perception of the West. Therefore, the presence of the Russian threat secures the European side of American hegemony.
Biden also specifically included the goal of deepening the alliance with Europe and evaluated this issue under a separate heading. According to the US President, the Washington administration owes its global leadership to the alliance relationship it has developed with Europe. Therefore, the Washington administration used expressions in the aforementioned document emphasizing the importance of the Western alliance taking a monolithic stance and stating that the enlargement of the European Union (EU) integration would increase the power of the West.[4] In this sense, the EU; can be said that it is desired to be directed in a way that will serve the global goals of the US.
In addition of all, the document shows that the US defines its relations with Europe through values and sees the deterrence provided by NATO’s 5th article as a unifying instrument.[5] For this reason, it is possible to foresee that the US will develop NATO-centered cooperation.[6] However, the Biden administration’s approach to Europe is not limited to these.
It is understood that the main target that the document focuses on is Russia in the European dimension. The US is satisfied with the stance of EU countries regarding the Russia-Ukraine War. In this context, the point that the Washington administration is uncomfortable with is the energy dependence of Continental Europe on Russia. In this context, the White House emphasizes the need for Europe to find new energy suppliers and the need to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. Therefore, it can be argued that the US will try to put forward more concrete projects in terms of energy policies in the future. Because Europe’s energy fragility may also make Trans-Atlantic relations fragile. Biden drew attention to the “US-EU European Energy Security Task Force” and clearly stated that the Washington administration would take the initiative in the text in question.
Also, the document stated the importance of struggling with climate change and the food crisis and the measures to be taken in this regard.[7] The US seems to be willing to work closely with European states on the aforementioned issues. Namely, there is a Washington administration that aims to cooperate with the allies in the against crises.
On the other hand, the effect of awareness of the importance of interdependence was created by economic relations, the National Security Strategy Document states that the USA attaches importance to the G7 and wants to work closely with France, Italy, and Germany within this group.[8] However, it can be argued that the main expectation of the Washington administration is to get the support of Europe in its goal of limiting China, its main rival in the global power struggle. However, it is highly debatable whether it can receive support from Europe in this regard.
As it is known, an extremely intricate dependency relationship has emerged between European states and China. When it is considered the volume of economic relations, it can be said that EU members do not want to confront Beijing. Despite this, the US wants to act together with its European allies “against China’s actions that turn the global order upside down” as stated in the document. In this sense, it can be argued that Washington will increase the pressure on Beijing and force Europe to make a choice. It can be said that the argument is that the US will use Western values.
As a result, National Security Strategy Document, signed by Biden, reflects the Washington administration’s desire to deepen its relations with Europe. In the meantime, it can be said that the Russia-Ukraine War served the purposes of the US. But the main expectation of the White House is for Europe to stand against China. It is very difficult for Washington to convince the EU members on this issue due to their mutual dependencies. Despite this, the document which was signed on 12 October 2022 reveals that the US will focus on China and want to see Europe by its side in this competition.
[1] “National Security Strategy”, White House, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Biden-Harris-Administrations-National-Security-Strategy-10.2022.pdf, (Date of Accession: 14.10.2022).
[2] “National Security…, op. cit., p. 2.
[3] “National Security…, op. cit., p. 4.
[4] “National Security…, op. cit., p. 26
[5] Ibid.
[6] “National Security…, op. cit., p. 39.
[7] Ibid.
