Recently there was a lot of talk about Trump's new administration being hostile to Europe. Some went as far as suggesting that the US will abandon Europe altogether and EU needs to figure out how to do it without Americans.
On its part, Europe responded with a mix of shock and disbelieve on one hand and concerted effort to placate and appease Trump on the other one. European leaders insisted that transatlantic alliance is essential and there can be no alternatives.
Recently this somewhat subdued so most will be inclined to say that storm have passed and its business as usual now.
However, there is no smoke without fire. There are reasons for such American hostility. These reasons are not obvious. As far as I know not a single pundit, expert of columnists managed to pin them down. So, I will explain why, as I wrote it in the title, America wants a Friendly Rivalry with the EU.
Reasons for these are within America's own psychology. Americans are culturally and traditionally opposed to taxes and big government: legacy of American Revolutionary war. That makes Americans much more skeptical about paying taxes that Europeans are.
To make matters worse a lot of Americans live in rural areas, where benefits of government spending are far less noticeable than in cities.
These two factors contribute to recent rise of various anti-tax movements like tea party. Even unrelated movements such as libertarianism are often taken over by anti-tax zealotry.
All these anti-tax movements put federal government in danger, no matter what they do. Ignore them and be perceived as corrupt and autocratic. Embrace them and put government revenue and by extension government functioning in danger.
Because of that government needs a solution that will allow them to somehow appease the population without reducing government expenditure and taxation.
What that solution can be, a second cold war style rivalry. Back during Cold War era threat of USSR kept American public alert and willing to support their government to fight communism, even if that support meant higher taxes for them personally. Threat of Gulag and losing it all kept them content with giving a fraction to federal government to fight back against Gulag. Government in turn used these money to modernise not only the military and intelligence services, but many other aspects of the government as well. Even social services were seen as necessary to prevent poor from turning towards communism.
However, after USSR collapsed, together with sign of relief, came cuts to various agencies and departments that were created during the Cold War era. Now that communism is defeated and the US dominant position is unchallenged it's time to finally cut taxes and get rid of all these Cold War era departments. That sentiment eventually sprung various anti-tax movements across the US that now threaten to undermine American government itself.
Cold War or not, expenditure on military, espionage and even social services are still essential. The US will not survive without it. Just because Cold War has ended, dangers to American way of life have not. The only difference is that these dangers became less obvious for an average person. These arguments are something a rational person will understand. However anti-tax zealots are not rational and do not listen to such arguments. Thus, government needs an alternative solution.
If it worked during the Cold War rivalry, then perhaps emergence of a new rival that can challenge the US? Such rival will mobilise the country and at the same time give taxpayers a good reason to keep paying their tax.
However, who can become such a rival? War on Terror did not kept population engaged for too long. Russia is now too weak to challenge Ukraine, much less the US. Not to mention American attitudes to Russia have changed from fear to admiration. China would much prefer to divide the world into spheres of influence and each lord over their part of the world. Also, China is poorer and weaker than the US, not something average American will lose sleep over. That leaves the EU.
EU is just as rich as the US, has about the same level of technological development, possibly exceeds the US in quality of life and definitely has more cultural appeal. A kind of rival, the US will have to catch up to. That will allow federal government to even justify new taxes to pay for "keeping up with the Joneses Europeans". In short perfect rival.
However, EU is American original Cold War ally and has no appetite for any conflict whatsoever. Also, when it comes to security, the EU is still heavily dependent on the US and cannot just jump the boat at a drop of a hat. That makes transatlantic rivalry rather unfeasible. However not completely impossible.
To ignite transatlantic rivalry, Trump administration tried to provoke Europe emotionally, hoping that Europeans will retaliate in tit for tat manner. That however did not work as Europeans in general much more rational and levelheaded compared to Americans. European response was as calm and calculated as it could possibly be.
In general EU struggles with emotional appeal. People who think rationally see only benefits from EU. However, those who think emotionally cling to national flags and perceived mythical national glory, no matter how fictitious it is. "We are descendants or space technology wielding Illyrians/Dacians and those idiots across the border are not, we cannot unite with them."
Back to American rivalry problem. Since Europeans are so calm and calculated, there is no point of provoking them, but there can be point in trying to discuss this issue calmly. After all Americans do not need a full all out second Cold War until the utter and complete destruction of either one or the other side, like the first one was. Americans need something like a managed rivalry, akin to a sport game. For something like that a discussion about rules of the game is needed. Such discussions of course have to be behind closed doors, so that public will not guess it's all a game. That way Americans and Europeans can appear to be fighting each other, but at the same time be able to come together as a team, if some real external threat will materialize.
A frank behind closed door discussion between the US and Europeans can solve many of their problems and will allow both of them to move forward in a very clever fashion. A managed partial rivalry that will solve many of the internal American problems will become possible.
