TRUMP'S ACTIONS ON EUROPE BARED

Former President Donald Trump's unpredictability and America First policy have shaken the post-WWII global order and strained relations between Western allies, according to a Euronews report.

As the 45th president of the US vacates the White House, we take a look at the main ways his four years in office have impacted the Old Continent. In America we trust?

During his presidency, Trump publicly snubbed or berated European allies — seemingly refusing to shake Angela Merkel's hand at the White House — but cosied up to long-time foes — he described Vladimir Putin as a "terrific person" and Kim Jong-Un as a "great leader."

He also pulled out or threatened to pull out of international treaties or institutions promoting a rules-based global order.

Washington withdrew from the Paris Agreement on climate change and from the landmark nuclear deal with Iran and initiated the process to pull out of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the midst of a global pandemic. Trump also fustigated the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and NATO.

For Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform (CER) think tank, "the biggest impact" of Trump's presidency for Europe, was "the loss of trust in America's reliability as an ally."

"There had been serious transatlantic disagreements in the past — notably over Iraq in 2003 — but no previous president since World War II had challenged the very principle of the transatlantic alliance in the way that Trump did when he questioned whether the US ould feel obliged to defend a NATO ally that was attacked," Bond told Euronews.

A survey released on Tuesday of 15,000 people from 11 European countries found that a majority — 51 per cent — believe that the incoming Biden administration will be unable to repair the country's internal divisions and won't invest in solving international issues such as climate change, peace in the Middle East, relations with China, and European security.

Furthermore, just 10 percent of the respondents described Washington as a "reliable" security partner who will always protect Europe. At least 60 per cent of those surveyed in every country polled also feel that their country cannot depend on US support in the event of a major crisis. EU-nity?

Over the past four years, Europe has had to wrestle with past and new crises — financial, economic, migratory and sanitary. These have exposed stark ideological differences in Europe and strained relations between member states.

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