A GOP-led US is clearly not going to be a reliable friend of the UK. It already advocates policies that will harm the UK's key defence, security and economic interests. Now it is openly hostile to our democratically elected government.
It looks like we are going to be getting a lot closer to our European friends a lot quicker than many might have anticipated.
It will be interesting to see how the big EPC meeting at Blenheim palace at the weekend goes down. Starmer hosts his first major gathering of European leaders.
I think managing the relationship with a loose-cannon USA run by a President interested in nothing but himself will be a very major issue, though perhaps with the substance largely hidden, for Mr Starmer. And a tightrope to walk.
We do have a lot of integration in place with European countries in defence, and have some history of creating insulation against Usonian self-interested knee jerks - for example I think Storm Shadow is ITAR-proof ("International Traffic in Arms Regulations" - USA mechanism of control).
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We do have a lot of integration in place with European countries in defence, and have some history of creating insulation against Usonian self-interested knee jerks - for example I think Storm Shadow is ITAR-proof ("International Traffic in Arms Regulations" - USA mechanism of control).