Europe left exposed as Biden walks America away from the world stage

When US President Joe Biden finally broke his silence on the chaos unfolding in Afghanistan, European allies who’d had high hopes for a reset in the transatlantic alliance were left dismayed.

Their disappointment was not at the contents of Biden’s address, but the America First optics of the leader of the free world washing his hands of a global problem. The unilateral decision to withdraw seemed to somewhat contradict Biden’s claim upon entering the White House that “America is back.”

A crisis like the one unfolding in Afghanistan has, for some, hammered home the bleak reality that, without America, Europe’s immediate ability to control its own destiny is limited.

From London to Paris, Brussels to Berlin, the sudden fall of Kabul shone a light on Europe’s limited diplomatic heft, military capacity, and political stability.

Diplomats and officials all over the continent have privately expressed their sorrow that this is where we are: If the US says it’s over, it’s over…

Without the might of America to keep a lid on the situation, Europe is undeniably more exposed. As one EU official put it: “When America reversed course on Syria it sparked a crisis in Europe, not the US.” …

“My fear is that if the world feels that it can no longer look with the same level of certainty and confidence to the US or NATO… we will see emboldened moves from actors hostile or unfriendly to a more united Europe,” Roberta Metsola, a member of the European Parliament’s committee that works on migration and border security, tells CNN.

“That means that Europe must realize that the weight of the world democratic and security order rests more heavily on Europe’s shoulders. It is a wake-up call that we have snoozed too many times,” she adds.

Some are already calling for urgent action to address this. Tom Tugendhat, a British lawmaker who served in Afghanistan, spoke in a moving speech to the UK Parliament of a need for “reinvigorating our European-NATO partners, to make sure that we are not dependent on a single ally, on the decision of a single leader… and make sure that we hold the line together.”