Donald Trump has been called many things but his newest label – the great unifier of Europe – might just stick. That provocative notion may raise eyebrows in Brussels, Paris, or Berlin, but Mr Trump’s return could be the shock that finally compels Europe to do what it has long known it must: to become more self-reliant.
The world has changed. Russia’s war in Ukraine shattered the illusion of permanent peace in the region. China’s economic ascendancy is reshaping global competition. And now, with Mr Trump launching a trade offensive against allies and adversaries alike, one truth is impossible to ignore: no one is coming to Europe’s rescue.
For too long, Europe has assumed that peace, prosperity and US protection were permanent. That illusion is gone.
Mr Trump’s transactional approach to alliances – where strength is rewarded and weakness punished – has exposed a hard truth: Europe can no longer outsource its defence. His worldview owes more to 19th-century protectionism than 20th-century idealism.
But the implications extend beyond defence. Mr Trump’s America is not merely retreating from global leadership – it is actively dismantling the postwar order that enabled Europe’s rise. Nato, the World Trade Organisation, the International Monetary Fund – these institutions anchored European prosperity and security. That architecture may not include Europe by default next time.
Unless Europe steps up, it risks being left behind. Europe faces a choice: reform and lead or stagnate and drift.
The first path begins with taking responsibility for its own defence. That demands more than budget increases, with Germany poised to channel as much as €1 trillion ($1.15 trillion) into defence and infrastructure under Chancellor Friedrich Merz. It means aligning strategic priorities, co-ordinating procurement, and deepening military integration – ideally through a “coalition of the willing”, rather than waiting for unanimity. This group could include the UK, Norway, Canada and, potentially, Switzerland.
Europe must also fix its chronic economic underperformance. Between 2014 and 2023, nominal US GDP grew 57 per cent; the euro area just 15 per cent. That gap reflects more than demographics – it points to structural inefficiencies. Fragmented capital markets and limited access to risk capital force many European entrepreneurs to look abroad.
A genuine capital markets union would change that, unlocking investment in green tech, artificial intelligence, life sciences and more. It’s not just about growth. Innovation is the new battleground.
Energy is the third pillar. The war in Ukraine didn’t cause Europe’s energy crisis, but it exposed the risks of dependence. Swapping Russian gas for American liquefied natural gas won’t delivery energy security. Resilience will come from accelerating renewables, upgrading grids, building storage and revisiting nuclear energy – not just for climate goals, but for sovereignty.
In this optimistic future, Europe is more integrated, more dynamic and more secure. It competes globally and stands on its own terms.
The second path is easier – for now. No hard choices. No integration. Just drift.
In that future, defence stays fragmented. Capital remains trapped. Europe continues to punch below its weight. And, as the world grows more volatile, Europe becomes less relevant.
We’ve seen this before.
In the mid-1980s, Europe was adrift – weak growth, institutional fatigue, geopolitical anxiety. Then-US president Ronald Reagan’s arms race unnerved many after a decade of detente.
Europe responded with the 1986 Single European Act, which laid the groundwork for the single market. It streamlined decision-making and revived the integration agenda. Europe rose to the moment then – and it must again.
This time, the stakes are higher. The next round of reforms must secure not just prosperity, but sovereignty.
Business has a role to play too. Just as industrial leaders helped drive integration in the 1990s, today’s chief executives must help shape Europe’s renewal − not just because it’s good policy, but because a fragmented, inward-looking Europe is bad for business and worse for society.
Leaders like Henrik Andersen, chief executive of Danish wind turbine maker Vestas, offer a useful example. He has urged Brussels to align energy, trade and industrial policy – not out of idealism, but because Europe’s competitiveness in clean tech depends on it.
So what must Europe do − urgently and decisively?
First, it must provide for its own defence. With US electoral cycles growing ever more unpredictable, European security can no longer hinge on transatlantic assumptions. A credible defence posture is essential − not to replace Nato, but to rebalance it.
Second, Europe must unlock capital and innovation. Fragmented financial markets continue to stifle scale and ambition. While North America accounts for 60 per cent of global scale-ups, the EU claims just 8 per cent. A capital markets union is now critical to mobilise European savings, fund its own innovation, and reduce reliance on US capital.
Third, the green transition must accelerate − not simply as a climate imperative, but as a strategy for resilience and sovereignty. Renewables, and where appropriate nuclear, should anchor an energy strategy capable of withstanding geopolitical shocks.
And finally, Europe must engage globally with coherence and purpose. It has a foreign minister, but still lacks a foreign policy. That must change. Building stable, values-driven partnerships with powers like India, Saudi Arabia and even China will be essential if Europe is to remain an active shaper − rather than a passive observer − of the global order.
It’s one of history’s ironies: Mr Trump may be the catalyst for European renewal. By making US commitments less reliable, he’s made European responsibility unavoidable. By rejecting global rules, he’s made European leadership indispensable.
This is not just another chapter in Europe’s integration story. The world has changed − and with it, the stakes. The time for hesitation is over.
Now is the moment to act.
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
ANALYSTS’ TOP PICKS OF SAUDI BANKS IN 2019
Analyst: Aqib Mehboob of Saudi Fransi Capital
Top pick: National Commercial Bank
Reason: It will be at the forefront of project financing for government-led projects
Analyst: Shabbir Malik of EFG-Hermes
Top pick: Al Rajhi Bank
Reason: Defensive balance sheet, well positioned in retail segment and positively geared for rising rates
Analyst: Chiradeep Ghosh of Sico Bank
Top pick: Arab National Bank
Reason: Attractive valuation and good growth potential in terms of both balance sheet and dividends
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
SPECS
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Wonka
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
12%20restaurants%20opening%20at%20the%20hotel%20this%20month
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.
The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
