Europe may be entering its own ‘century of humiliation’

The World Economic Forum in Davos has long been the high cathedral of globalisation, a place where the “Davos Man” devours a borderless world governed by the rules of the market and mutual gain. But a few days ago, that era ended.

US President Donald Trump’s speech at Davos was essentially a wrecking ball swung at the foundations of the transatlantic alliance (if it still exists). By doubling down on aggressive, transactional rhetoric against European nations that he sees as free-riders, Trump signalled the definitive return of raw realpolitik. This is the “Donroe Doctrine”, the Monroe Doctrine updated for the 2020s, a US closed-door policy that treats Europe not as a partner but as a frontier to be managed – or exploited.

The White House’s 2025 National Security Strategy introduced a “Trump corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine, signalling a massive shift in American priorities. The strategy explicitly commits to reasserting US dominance over its own hemisphere, withdrawing the attention and resources that once anchored the transatlantic alliance to focus on its “near abroad”. This pivot is not merely theoretical – the attack on the Maduro administration in Venezuela served as the opening salvo of this new era.