"Krone" guest commentary

The fourth superpower

If Trump, Xi and Putin divide up the world among themselves like Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt once did - who will stand up to them?(Bild: EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV)

These are bitter times for idealistic pacifists and small-state nationalists. "This is just the beginning," said Donald Trump in the US Congress on Wednesday. Trump, Musk & Co. are working on a reign of terror. It is still unclear whether they want to come to an arrangement with Russia, primarily to do business in their own interests, or to ally themselves against China. Trade and cyber wars are also wars.

A second Yalta Conference comes into focus. In 1945, Josef Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt divided the world among themselves. Roosevelt divided the world between them. Trump, Xi and Putin can do it again, perhaps soon in Riyadh. The US ruler wants the Panama Canal and Greenland. The USA is to become self-sufficient in semiconductor production, Taiwan's life insurance until now. Xi can then invade there and Europe will fall to Putin.

Or can and do we Europeans want to quickly become the fourth superpower? "Yes, we can", Barack Obama would have said. For now. The EU is still the world's largest single market. France and the UK can offer nuclear protection, at least for the time being. But the EU summit should be about much more than military armament.

How vulnerable will new US tariffs really make us? Can Europe become more independent more quickly?

Digital armament would be essential. The new techno-feudalists from Amazon and Meta will position their market power against sensible European data protection. Europe must counter this. If we adopt the US standards of fake and hate, our democracies will also come under attack.

Advertising and sales from Europe belong in Europe. An alliance can be found with China on climate issues. The alternative? Europe becomes one big Venice, a museum for the others. Or will it?

Guest commentator Hans-Peter Martin