Europe needs less emotion in assessing Trump's strategy

President Donald Trump’s controversial new U.S. National Security Strategy should be read as a political statement, not as a strategic blueprint.

The document devotes most of its attention to Europe. Instead of the usual restrained, bureaucratic language, it presents a stark picture of Europe as a continent struggling with migration, freedoms, and demographic pressure. It states an intention to “cultivate resistance” inside European states. This is not standard language for addressing allies, and the provocation feels intentional. The document is plainly designed to annoy and alarm European governments.