Is Trump Destroying the Western Alliance? Will Europe Ally with China?

Feb 1, 2026 | As Donald Trump hits the EU with tariffs and threatens to colonize Greenland (an autonomous territory of NATO member Denmark), European leaders are improving relations with China and seeking new trade partners. Is this the end of the political West and the transatlantic alliance? Ben Norton explains.

Homosexuality in Europe Between Two Dictatorships I PART 2 | SLICE WHO

Jan 26, 2026 | Between the wars, being gay in Europe meant living under constant surveillance.

Through the personal memories of Pierre-Louis “Pilou”, this documentary traces a hidden life shaped by love, fear and repression.

From Paris to Italy, from quiet freedoms to fascist crackdowns, his story reveals how homosexuality was tolerated, medicalized, then criminalized. As Nazism and fascism spread, private lives became political threats.

Documentary : Snapshots Of History
EP:20 Pierre Louis ”Pilou”, Homosexuality in the Interwar Years
Direction : Delphine Deloget
Production : Bonne Compagnie


PART 1 can be watched here.

Homosexuality in Europe Between Two Dictatorships I PART 1 | SLICE WHO

Jan 19, 2026 | In 1920s Europe, before fascism reshaped the continent, a brief moment of freedom emerged.

Through personal photos and journals, this documentary traces the life of Pilou, a young gay man discovering desire, identity, and artistic expression in the Roaring Twenties.

From small-town France to Parisian cabarets, his story reveals a hidden world rarely documented.

A portrait of queer life before repression returned. In 1920s Europe, before fascism reshaped the continent, a brief moment of freedom emerged. Through personal photos and journals, this documentary traces the life of Pilou, a young gay man discovering desire, identity, and artistic expression in the Roaring Twenties.

Documentary : Snapshots Of History
EP:20 Pierre Louis ”Pilou”, Homosexuality in the Interwar Years
Direction : Delphine Deloget
Production : Bonne Compagnie

"Europe Won't Be Trump's Vassal" – How Davos '26 Changed Everything | Wider View from Brussels

Jan 26, 2026 | After Davos 2026, Europe is rethinking its relationship with the United States. Transatlantic ties are under unprecedented strain.

We discuss why “transactional Trumpism” is now completely unviable. From defense and AI technology to NATO and strategic autonomy, Europe stopped being America’s vassal.

Europe Needs a Dramatic Strategic Revolution - Now: Historian Robert Kagan

Jan 20, 2026 | Investigative journalist and co-founder of the Nerve Carole Cadwalladr talks to conservative historian and former historian Robert Kagan about the critical geopolitical moment we are in. With the Trump administration moving rapidly towards dictatorship, Kagan says, European governments need to completely change tack, fast. “I feel like the administration has done everything except climb up on the roof of the White House and yell what they're going to do,” says Kagan. ”Trump is already talking about how you don't really need these midterm elections.” "Europe needs to become self-sufficient in both military and economic terms" and without drastic action, “risks becoming a collection of fiefdoms of the great empires of the world... Some of them under Russia's thumb, some under America's thumb, maybe some influenced more by China.”

The Nerve is a new, fiercely independent media platform covering culture, politics and tech. Set up by a collective of five former Guardian journalists, including the investigative reporter Carole Cadwalladr, who believe that the UK needs more truly independent journalism as we have never been more in need of an independent, fearless press. Having nerve is the key quality the world needs now.

Trump’s Wrecking Ball Pushes US Allies Closer to China

THE GUARDIAN: n the search for stability, some western nations are turning to a country that many in Washington see as an existential threat

f geopolitics relies at least in part on bonhomie between global leaders, China made an unexpected play for Ireland’s good graces when the taoiseach visited Beijing this month. Meeting Ireland’s leader, Micheál Martin, in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China’s president, Xi Jinping, said a favourite book of his as a teenager was The Gadfly, by the Irish author Ethel Voynich, a novel set in the revolutionary fervour of Italy in the 1840s.

“It was unusual that we ended up discussing The Gadfly and its impact on both of us but there you are,” Martin told reporters in Beijing.

China is on a charm offensive with western leaders, a path cleared by Donald Trump’s increasingly erratic and destabilising power grabs on the global stage. Although Europe breathed a sigh of relief this week when Trump withdrew the threat of using military force in Greenland and said he would not impose tariffs on opponents of his plans in the Arctic, the US no longer seems like a reliable partner.

An editorial in the Chinese newspaper the Global Times made Beijing’s pitch clear: headlined “Europe should seriously consider building a China-EU community with a shared future”, the state media article said the world risked “returning to the law of the jungle” and that China and the EU should cooperate in building “a shared future for mankind”.

No country can afford to cut ties or truly antagonise the world’s biggest economy. But in the search for stability, US allies are turning to the country that many in Washington see as an existential threat: China. » | Amy Hawkins, Senior China correspondent | Sunday, January 25, 2026

Are America and Europe Finally Divorcing?

Jan 24, 2026 | In a week that's marked an inflection point in European history and transatlantic relations, Tom and Patrick discuss whether the two continents' world views are, finally, irreconcilable. And, were America to walk away from NATO, what are the military gaps that Europe would rapidly have to fill? Could it do so, and how fast?

Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders & Tom Newton Dunn
Producer: Shabnam Grewal

Politicians React as Trump Claims NATO Troops Avoided Front Lines | BBC Question Time

Jan 23, 2026 | Following a tense week for European nations over Donald Trump’s threats to Greenland, fresh outrage has been sparked as the US President claimed NATO troops avoided Afghanistan's front line.

Trump told Fox News on Thursday: "They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan... and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”

The UK was among several allies to join the US in Afghanistan from 2001, and a total of 457 British service personnel were killed in the conflict.

America Is ‘No Longer an Ally’ | Historian Sir Simon Schama

Jan 23, 2026 | Sir Keir Starmer must recognise the “stiff dose of reality” that Trump has “set has marks on destroying the European Union”, says historian Sir Simon Schama.

Sir Simon Schama was speaking to Chloe Tilley and Calum Macdonald on Times Radio.


Trump is TRASH! — © Mark Alexander

Europe’s Trust in America Is Fundamentally Damaged | Mark Urban

Jan 22, 2026 | “The Belgian prime minister… was saying ‘we don’t want to live like slaves.’”

The deeper realisation following the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos and Donald Trump’s Greenland manoeuvring is that the US President marks a turning point in Europe’s ability to trust America, says Sunday Times columnist Mark Urban.


Americans are no longer our friends. Period. A friend who cannot be trusted is real no friend at all! — © Mark Alexander

Trump’s Rift With Europe Is Clear. Europe Must Decide What to Do About It.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: After President Trump aired his disdain for Europe, its leaders will gather in Brussels Thursday to take stock of what comes next.

The depth of the rift between President Trump and Europe was on full display on Wednesday as Mr. Trump delivered remarks in Davos, Switzerland, airing his disdain for Europe’s immigration policies, its regulations and its strident unwillingness to give him Greenland, which he insists America must own.

For months, Europe has been looking to find a diplomatic answer to de-escalate the crisis. Hope for such an off ramp came late Wednesday, when Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social to announce that he and Mark Rutte, the NATO secretary general, were working on a deal that could resolve the dispute over Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. He suggested that tariffs he had previously threatened to impose on European nations starting Feb. 1 would no longer kick in.

But neither he nor NATO provided any details of what that framework might look like, and there is no guarantee that such a deal will be finished. A member of the Danish parliament from Greenland called the deal into question in a social media post, saying it had created “total confusion.”

The dust had not yet settled Wednesday night. But one thing was clear. Mr. Trump’s comments throughout the day underscored just how little the United States and Europe — long the closest of allies — now have in common. » | Steven Erlanger and Jeanna Smialek | Steven Erlanger reported from Berlin, and Jeanna Smialek from Brussels. | Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Homosexuality in Europe Between Two Dictatorships I PART 1 | SLICE WHO

Jan 19, 2026 | In 1920s Europe, before fascism reshaped the continent, a brief moment of freedom emerged.

From small-town France to Parisian cabarets, Pilou’s story reveals a hidden world rarely documented. A portrait of queer life before repression returned.

In 1920s Europe, before fascism reshaped the continent, a brief moment of freedom emerged. Through personal photos and journals, this documentary traces the life of a young gay man (Pilou) discovering desire, identity, and artistic expression in the Roaring Twenties.

Documentary : Snapshot Of History EP:20 Pierre Louis
”Pilou”, Homosexuality in the Interwar Years
Direction : Delphine Deloget
Production : Bonne Compagnie

Trump Is Pushing the U.S.-Europe Alliance Onto a Precipice

THE NEW YORK TIMES: As President Trump tries to coerce European leaders over Greenland, they are pondering the unthinkable: Is an 80-year-old alliance doomed?

What happens to an 80-year-old diplomatic alliance when its leading power threatens a military invasion of one member, wages economic war on the others and vows to cultivate political and cultural resistance to their governments? Is the alliance doomed?

That question is being asked in capitals across Europe as leaders rush to respond to President Trump’s rapidly escalating campaign to acquire Greenland over the objections of the people who live there. At issue most urgently is whether resisting Mr. Trump’s territorial ambitions risks damaging Europe’s relationship with the United States beyond repair.

Some leaders — like President Emmanuel Macron of France and Lars Klingbeil, Germany’s finance minister — appear willing to take that risk, urging Europe’s nations to consider deploying an economic “bazooka” in response to Mr. Trump’s latest tariff threats.

Leaders from across Europe are expected to gather in Brussels this week to present a united response to Mr. Trump’s provocations. Veteran observers of European politics said the alliance between Europe and the United States that formed in the aftermath of World War II had already been fundamentally altered.

It is no longer an alliance designed primarily to advance the interests of like-minded democracies, they said. Instead, it is a relationship on Mr. Trump’s terms alone — one in which he wields the leverage that comes from American power to force Europeans to cater to his whims. » | Michael D. Shear | Reporting from Oxford, England | Monday, January 19, 2026

Greenland: Will Europe Fight Trump or Surrender

Jan 19, 2026 | Donald Trump wants Greenland - and he’s willing to use tariffs to get it. If European allies refuse to sell, the US president has threatened to escalate trade penalties, weaponising economic pressure rather than military force.

The proposal has sparked alarm across Europe, with some leaders calling for the EU to deploy its so-called “trade bazooka” in response.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has warned that a trade war benefits nobody.

Europe Warns Trump of “Dangerous Downward Spiral” and Threatens Tariff Retaliation | BBC News

Jan 18, 2026 | European leaders have united in condemning President Trump’s threat of new tariffs against allies who oppose his plan to annex Greenland. A joint statement of European leaders said: “Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral”. The statement, signed by the leaders of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland said: “We are committed to upholding our sovereignty.”

The UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, told the US president in a phone call that he was wrong to make such a threat against NATO allies.

The EU made clear it could impose retaliatory tariffs on American goods or even consider economic sanctions against the United States if the US tariffs were imposed. The head of the European Council announced an emergency summit and said the EU showed “readiness to defend ourselves against any form of coercion”.

Europe’s stance could place it on a collision course with the US. Trump has said he will place sanctions on eight European nations, including the UK, that have deployed troops to Greenland in response to US threats over its future. Jane Hill presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Nick Beake, Joe Pike, Faisal Islam and Katya Adler.


So much for the UK establishment and our Royal Family toadying up to Trump with that ridiculous and unprecedented second state visit. A fat lot of good it has done us! And think of the cost! Much good for the nation, especially for the needy and underprivilieged, could have been done with that wasted taxpayers’ money. Now, as a thank you, Trump is kicking us in the teeth. — © Mark Alexander

Put European and Canadian Troops in Greenland to Deter US | Richard Shirreff

Jan 19, 2026 | "It's absolutely the future of NATO.”

Former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Sir Richard Shirreff tells Times Radio Europe and Canada should "call the bluff" and put troops into Greenland to deter "any aggression, whether Russian, Chinese, or indeed, American".

Trump Threatens Higher Tariffs on Opponents of Greenland Plan | DW News

Jan 17, 2026 | US president Donald Trump is threatening to impose tariffs on countries that oppose his plan to take over Greenland. The warning comes after several European nations sent small numbers of troops to the Arctic Island -- a semi-autonomous Danish territory. Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers visited Denmark, to say that Trump's designs on Greenland don't have the support of the American people. DW's Jack Parrock reports from Brussels.

Troops and Vessels from European NATO Allies Arrive in Greenland | BBC News

Jan 16, 2026 | Troops and ships from several European states are gathering in Greenland. The limited deployment involves Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the UK.

US President Donald Trump says the US needs to "own" Greenland to prevent Russia and China from doing so. Greenland's Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said this week that the territory was in the midst of a geopolitical crisis, and that if his people were asked to make a choice they would choose Denmark over the US.

US vs Europe: How Greenland Became a NATO Crisis as Trump Threatens Tariffs for Non-compliance.

Jan 16, 2026 | Donald Trump’s renewed push to take control of Greenland has escalated from eccentric idea to full-blown transatlantic crisis. By threatening tariffs and refusing to rule out force, the US president is pressuring European allies to “go along” with an unprecedented challenge to NATO norms. This video breaks down how Greenland became a geopolitical flashpoint, why Denmark and Europe are pushing back, and what Trump’s coercive tactics reveal about his approach to alliances, security, and power. As the Arctic opens up and global tensions rise, the fight over a frozen island may say more about the future of NATO than any summit communiqué.

ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.

What Is the Mission of the Troops That Europe Is Sending to Greenland? | DW News

15 Jan 2026 | Denmark is increasing its military presence in and around Greenland with troops from Germany and other European nations. A Danish troop transport plane landed at Greenland's capital, Nuuk, overnight. The arrival of troops is said to be in support of military exercises. But it comes as Donald Trump justifies calls for a US takeover of the territory. He says Greenland can't defend itself against Russia's or China's Arctic ambitions. The announcement came after Denmark's and Greenland's foreign ministers held inconclusive talks in Washington with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.