It makes sense that King Charles III drew attention in Washington to his country’s special relationship with America. It had already become clear that his host, President Trump, had no idea what that entailed. He simply thought the relationship was poor. There was nothing special about it.
I fully understand that the British want to preserve that special bond. Since Brexit, they have been on their own. In one fell swoop, the United Kingdom has become a small country that can no longer properly defend its interests.
Now that NATO is once again brain-dead, the British are keen to resuscitate the organisation. At the same time, they know they must have an alternative. This was evident from the British initiative to establish a multinational maritime force with nine countries that is ‘complementary’ to NATO.
This is in line with an earlier British initiative, the Joint Expeditionary Force. This was intended to provide a guarantee to threatened countries that were not yet members of NATO, such as Finland and Sweden. Now ten northern countries are members, including the Netherlands.
Given that NATO is on its last legs and the southern member states have different security interests to the northern ones, this force, supplemented by a fleet of warships, could well be the first to be deployed for the defence of, for example, the Baltic States or Finland. With these initiatives, the United Kingdom remains relevant to the security of Europe.
Moreover, the British proposal is a typical ‘coalition of the willing’. Many experts see this as a promising model now that NATO is in decline and the EU has no solution due to its sluggish decision-making.
Yet it is remarkable that the European NATO countries cannot join forces to manage their security without America. King Charles made a valiant attempt to turn the tide. But for America, China is the priority, not wealthy Europe, which ought to be capable of ensuring its own security.
Alongside Trump, France is now also threatening NATO. The far-right Rassemblement National, Marine Le Pen’s party, has indicated that it wishes to deploy the French armed forces solely for the French people and ultimately to withdraw from NATO’s military structure.
The EU, too, faces the threat of further paralysis. For instance, the German conservatives want to curtail Brussels’ power by establishing a special body with a veto over Brussels legislation. If the aim is simply to drive reforms by dismantling excessive regulations, I can see the logic in that. But as it is currently formulated, there is a fear of further paralysis of the European Commission.
What is happening in the transatlantic world is the opposite of what is needed: strong leaders and strong leadership. For geopolitical struggle does not only lead to military confrontations. Geopolitics and the free-market economy are also at odds with one another. For the economy is increasingly becoming a means of political pressure. This requires a European industrial policy aimed at becoming as autonomous as possible from America and China.
Forced by Brexit, the British are aware of this. But the Member States of the European Union are still living in a bygone era.
Source: Trouw, Rob de Wijk, 1 mei 2026
Experts
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