Trump Spells End of Normality for Europe

Donald Trump vowed to upend the establishment. German leaders also expect the next US president to upend European politics, fueling populist parties and encouraging fragmentation of the European Union as right-wing politicians lure working-class voters with big promises of restoring jobs by ending immigration. German-US relations enter unknown territory. “Will the next US president become the leader of a new international movement that opposes cosmopolitanism, freedom of expression and the principles of parliamentarian democracy?” questions a Spiegel Online article. “Suddenly, the usual channels, personal relations and institutional-level contacts – in other words, the entire network of German-American relations – are worth nothing…. The mere fact that a self-professed opponent of immigrants and globalization like Trump could become president is likely to exacerbate Europe's populism problem.” Europeans must decide whether binding together ensures prosperity and security, or if they can do better by competing with one another to make their own deals with the Trump administration. – YaleGlobal