Europe is a puzzle piece in US’s China policy

In American strategic thinking, Europe plays less of a central role today than it did throughout the 20th century. The Middle East (during the George W Bush administration) and the Indo-Pacific region are highest on the agenda. One consequence of this evolution is that Washington has increasingly come to regard Europe as a region that can be used to serve other American objectives. In her doctoral research, Linde Desmaele analysed how three successive American presidents did this in the period from 2001 to 2020. Desmaele: "It is impossible today to fully understand Washington's policy towards Europe without taking into account its extra-regional considerations, especially in its rivalry with China." Under the guidance of Professor Luis Simon at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) of the Brussels School of Governance at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Desmaele analysed differences and similarities in the policies of the three presidents. Desmaele: "Although there are important differences in style under the presidencies of George W Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Tump and today Joe Biden, one central feature of US foreign policy remains unchanged: Washington no longer considers Europe a priority region. As a result, different administrations - each according to their own style - are increasingly seeking to instrumentalise their relations with Europe in order to secure their primary interests, which today lie elsewhere." George W Bush.