After Afghanistan, Europe Needs Its Own Defense

A call to establish a EU military - a pillar under NATO

From E-International Relations

There is no doubt that the Transatlantic Partnership is the greatest alliance known in human history, bringing together nations of immense influence and strength who are rooted in the noblest of ideals - democracy, human rights, and equality for all people.

I believe that the importance of this partnership transcends that of any single member nation. This partnership exudes hope that nations can look beyond the acquisition of power, wealth, and national glory and commit to the welfare of people in the American and European continents and of others abroad.

However, I am not content with the current state of the partnership. Rather than a partnership, it is a one-sided operation in which the United States takes the wheel arrogantly and goes dangerously above the speed limit, with its allies in the back hanging on for dear life. This is exemplified by the recent events in Afghanistan in which the United States initiated a disaster of an evacuation without consulting its greatest allies. Though EU leaders begged President Biden to extend the August 31st deadline in order to get more people out, he refused as his call is far more powerful than the collective voice of Europe.

Europe is dissatisfied with us. For too long, America has done more harm than good. The United States must be tamed, for its military conquests have destroyed more lives at home and abroad. Its military outreach has moved our political focus from our communities to nations abroad. Thus, our domestic problems have been untreated and are now at a critical point in which we must stop and reevaluate.

I do not say that the United States must withdraw from our global role completely. We have a diplomatic obligation to our friends, to the ones who cry for help, and to ones who look to us. But, this obligation cannot be piloted by a single nation, for the task is too great for one nation to bear.

Therefore, the United States must look to our European friends whose consultation we shall cherish and whose fellowship we shall preserve. Europe needs to be on an equal footing with us by developing a coalition defense force and a humane foreign policy platform. This so-called European military and diplomacy should be a pillar under NATO so that our partnership can be what it was supposed to be.