Von Der Leyen Just Subordinated the EU as the US’ Largest-Ever Vassal State
This outcome places the US on the path of restoring its unipolar hegemony via sequential lopsided trade deals as it likely sets its sights on the Americas next before finally taking on Asia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to a framework deal with the US whereby the EU will be charged 15% tariffs on most imports, commit to purchasing $750 billion in US energy exports, and invest $600 billion into the US economy, some of which will be military purchases. US tariffs on EU steel and aluminum exports will remain at 50% while the EU agreed not to tariff the US at all. The alternative to this lopsided arrangement was for Trump to impose his threatened 30% tariffs by 1 August.
The EU’s macroeconomic strength was greatly weakened over the past 3,5 years as a result of the anti-Russian sanctions that it imposed in solidarity with the US on what had hitherto been its cheapest and most reliable energy supplier. It was therefore already at a critical disadvantage in any prospective trade war. The EU’s failure to reach a major trade deal with China since Trump’s return to office, such as during their most recent summit late last week, made Sunday’s outcome a fait accompli in hindsight.
The end result is that the EU just subordinated itself as the US’ largest-ever vassal st
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