Sino-American Competition and the Future of America’s European Strategy

Abstract

Competition with China has become the main lens through which the United States looks at the world. How will this affect US strategy in Europe? First, Washington’s increased focus on China leaves fewer US resources available to influence security developments in and around Europe. This compels US policy-makers to seek ways to preserve a favorable regional balance in Europe that require less of the United States. Second, Sino-American competition is leading Washington to view its transatlantic relationships in terms of how they affect its position relative to China. As the Euro-Atlantic area becomes less central to US grand strategy, global – and particularly China-focused – considerations will play an increasingly important role in the context of the transatlantic relationship.