Lord Peter Mandelson has issued a stark and critical analysis of Sir Keir Starmer's approach to what he terms the Donald Trump 'revolution', lambasting European leaders for their 'lazy' interpretation of global shifts.
Europe's 'Geopolitical Impotence' Exposed
Writing in The Spectator, the former Labour Cabinet minister and EU Trade Commissioner argued that Western leaders are failing to grasp the reality of a changed world order. He singled out what he called 'histrionics' over Donald Trump's past interest in acquiring Greenland as evidence of this failure, suggesting it revealed a superficial understanding of the MAGA movement's implications.
Lord Mandelson, who previously served as British Ambassador to the United States, dismissed widespread anxieties about national sovereignty and NATO's future in the Arctic as merely 'performative'. Instead, he contended that the serious threat comes from Russia and China, necessitating a 'considerably beefed-up role' for American military deployment in the region, in cooperation with Denmark and other allies.
The 'Awful Truth' of American Power
'It took President Trump deciding it was in America's interests to helicopter Nicolas Maduro to face justice, and this is the awful truth that Europe's political leaders are coming to terms with: Trump has the means and the will and they don't,' Lord Mandelson wrote.
He asserted that the 'rules-based system' has 'effectively not existed' for a 'long time', a shift he attributes more to the rise of China than to any actions by the former US President. 'I am afraid I don't think, even now, that European leaders have adjusted to the revolution under way,' he added, criticising their focus on Trump's unconventional style over substantive policy.
A Call for European Strategic Responsibility
Lord Mandelson accused European capitals of being 'transfixed by the Truth Socials coming out of the White House but without following the arguments underpinning them'. He urged a move beyond what he described as 'fine words' and called for Europe to assume its full military and financial responsibilities.
'They would do better to ask themselves why the US is making an adjustment and how they, as America's allies, can mitigate its consequences and offset the transfer of American resources elsewhere,' he advised. The peer concluded that the core issue is Europe's 'growing geopolitical impotence', which is being masked by allergic reactions to Trump's diplomatic playbook rather than a clear-eyed assessment of hard power needs.
