Spoiler alert: the US has always been arrogant since 1945. However, Europe suffered little from this for a long time, because Europe belonged to the inner circle. But look at what the US has done in Latin America since 1945, and you see a pattern of arrogance, power politics, and hardline action that we are now suddenly attributing to Trump. Trump may be more open and blunt, but the fundamental difference is not that the US has become more arrogant - the difference is that Europe is no longer automatically the favorite little ally.

Trump now seems to consider Russia more important than traditional allies. Russia, for example, was not subjected to American import tariffs. That says something, at the very least, about this administration's priorities.

In a sense, Europe is now receiving treatment that Latin America has known for decades: a relationship with the US that revolves primarily around American interests, not equality or loyalty.

Many Americans sincerely believe that the US is the best, richest, freest, and most democratic country in the world. But in many areas, that image has long since ceased to hold true. The US remains the dominant military power, but in the areas of education, healthcare, security, press freedom, and social security, the country often scores remarkably poorly compared to other developed countries. The state of American democracy is also increasingly being called into question.

At the same time, a large part of the American population lives relatively isolated from the rest of the world. Many people have never been outside the US and are primarily given a domestic perspective. This reinforces the idea of American exceptionalism - and sometimes the conviction that external criticism does not really matter.

For Europe, this has revealed an uncomfortable reality: the self-evident protection and loyalty of the US are not guaranteed. The world order on which Europe has relied for decades is changing rapidly. This calls for less naivety, more strategic independence, and a more realistic view of international power politics.

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