Trump victory poses tough strategic choices for UK
We need to stand with Ukraine, develop a Euro-centric vision for NATO and hike defence spending
In this snap analysis (which appeared at Conflict & Democracy on 6 November), I will address the impact of Trump’s victory on UK national security — but with a nod to the fact that it is possible that the MAGA movement now gets behind the UK far right and destabilises our own domestic politics as well.
Trump’s victory was the result of building a broad coalition on the American right. It includes traditional GOP figures who would like to stick with support for Ukraine, and who have resolutely opposed Russian influence campaigns, and people who have rolled over on both accounts.
But the premise of this article is that we get “echt” Trump: an isolationist administration that does what the new President promised.
That means a) pushing Ukraine into a deal with Russia that trades territory for peace and normalisation and b) heavying Europe to increase its share of the cost of deterring Russian aggression, using the threat of a troop drawdown, a capability drawdown or (worst case) withdrawal from the NATO command structures.
The result of this even being possible is to make it obligatory for UK national…
