Global Daily: The beatings will continue until morale improves

The beatings will continue until morale improves, but this abusive dynamic is unproductive: the stated US strategy of wanting a ‘stronger Europe’ to balance China sits awkwardly with tactics that erode mutual trust, seek to split European unity, and invite defensive hedging with other – not necessarily like-minded – parties. Moreover, it may cause Europe’s learned helplessness, its perennial reflex of waiting for Washington to set the terms, to be unlearned in practice.