Euroscopic S2E7: Tone matters

Countries don’t interfere in other countries’ domestic politics — officially, anyway — but it is hardly a secret that the European Union fears a Trump Comeback. The EU is firmly Team Biden. Well, except for maybe Hungary.That’s why it was interesting to watch the reaction to comments by Barack Obama — another Democratic president the EU has a huge crush on — when he came to Antwerp to participate in a tech conference. Among other things, he suggested that perhaps NATO’s European contingent needs to step up its defense game. A Trumpian talking point delivered with Obamaniac cool. The exchange makes for a good jumping off point for Martin and William to discuss the ins and outs and ups and downs of the transatlantic relationship: before, during, after, and — possibly — again with Donald J. Trump. It’s as bad as you think it is, but also not and also different. American global hegemony has been around for so long that it’s too big to fail — even if some would like it to.We’ve also got the latest on middling support for Ukraine, movement on action against Israel, and thoughts about an unsurprising victory for Vladimir Putin.Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts:* Apple Podcasts* Spotify* EUObserverAmong other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. Facts matter.ds This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com