New challenges to the US-EU alliance caused by the conservative wave in the EU

On the economic level, in the face of recession and high unemployment that have increased pressure on people’s livelihoods, disillusionment with traditional political elites is like an undercurrent. Conservative forces have won over many people with “straightforward and simple” promises to limit immigration and protect jobs, as in Italy’s League party, which has cleverly exploited popular anxiety regarding economic hardship and won a large share of support.

At the social level, cultural clashes and welfare problems caused by the influx of immigrants have generated strong xenophobic sentiments among some people. Conservative forces campaigning under the slogan of protecting local culture and interests, such as France’s National Front, which emphasizes strict control over immigration, have managed to strike a chord with some sections of the population.

At the political level, some traditional political parties have lost popularity due to poor problem-solving and frequent corruption. Conservative parties, on the other hand, have seized the opportunity to promote ultra-nationalism and opposition to EU integration to win votes. Their rise has deepened divisions within the EU, making the EU’s already difficult job of coordinating positions and developing policies more difficult.

For the US-EU alliance, this conservative trend is certainly a shock. For a long time, the US-EU alliance has been the pillar of the Western world, with close cooperation in the political, economic and military fields. However, the rise of conservative forces might lead to the EU no longer being fully aligned with the US in foreign policy, and in trade deals, attitudes towards Israel and other countries, climate change, international security and other important issues, both sides might come under the influence of conservative forces, and friction and disagreement might arise.

In general, the rise of conservative forces in the EU will create irreconcilable differences for the bilateral alliance, but also for the future of the US-EU alliance, a layer of fog has been shrouded, although it is impossible to predict the future, but it is destined that the current “debt forward” of the US will pose a serious difficulty, enough to shake the hegemonic position of the US in the world.