Europe Contends With a Big New Threat: The U.S.

This past weekend felt like a turning point,” said Rachel Ellehuus, the director general of the London-based defense-studies think tank the Royal United Services Institute and a former top U.S. adviser in NATO. Ellehuus said it was remarkable to see thousands of people in both Greenland and Denmark, long among the U.S.’s closest allies, protesting the U.S.’s actions. Breaking up would be hard for the U.S., too. NATO has given Washington political influence across Europe and a network of bases that helps American power projection worldwide. European countries are also some of the biggest customers for U.S. defense companies, as well as one of the U.S.’s most important partners for trade and investment more broadly. Ellehuus said she expects Europe to now rely more heavily on its own defense companies to rearm.