"In 2003, Blair said there was no option but to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with the U.S. Many in Europe agreed-in 2000, 82% of Britons and 62% of the French were "favorable" towards the US. The Western global agreement was strong, politically and economically. America had secured western Europe after the Second World War and there was much to be grateful for."
"History and populations have changed. Younger voters know far less of either the Second World War or the Cold War. The U.S. is now seen "unfavorably" in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, according to YouGov, a polling company."
"European leaders see a 21st century where America, personified by its president, has taken a different route away from the post-war settlement. At the World Economic Forum in Davos this January, the tension between the US and Europe was palpable."
European nations, particularly France, Spain, and the UK, faced domestic backlash following their involvement in the 2003 Iraq War. Historical support for the U.S., rooted in post-World War II security guarantees and strong trade relationships, has eroded among younger generations unfamiliar with Cold War dynamics. Contemporary polling shows unfavorable views of America across Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. European leaders increasingly perceive the U.S. as abandoning the post-war international settlement. Tensions between the U.S. and Europe reached unprecedented levels at the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos, with European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen declaring the old international order defunct.
Read at Fortune
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