Julian

🚨 EUROPE JUST GOT THE MESSAGE — AND IT’S NOT A GOOD ONE President Trump has made it clear: America is finishing its objective… and then stepping back. No more world policing. No more automatic protection. No more guarantees. His words matter: “The Strait… that’s not for us. That’ll be for France. That’ll be for whoever’s using it.” Read between the lines. This is a strategic shift. The United States is signalling: We secured our interests We achieved our objective You are now responsible for yours For Europe — this is a wake-up call. Because for decades: Security was outsourced Energy vulnerability was ignored Military strength was allowed to decline Now reality is returning. Fast. If America steps back: Who protects critical trade routes? Who secures energy supply lines? Who responds when escalation happens again? Europe is exposed. And it has been left exposed by its own leadership. This is not just about geopolitics. This is about consequence. Weak energy policy. Weak defence policy. Weak leadership. All converging at the same moment. And now, when the pressure is rising… The safety net may no longer be there. The world is shifting. And Europe is not ready.

So let us assume Trump does wind down the US military campaign (even as it would raise the obvious question of why he has just sent thousands of American troops into the region), while the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. What, then, did those additional three or four weeks of war actually achieve? - The bulk of the nuclear threat has been neutralised in the first few days. - Iran’s Supreme Leader was killed within the opening phase of the conflict. - The Strait of Hormuz was not (effectively) closed until only a couple of weeks ago. - There is still no meaningful sign of regime change, let alone of the Iranian people being lifted out of the shadows. - Persistently high energy prices will push inflation higher and send consumer spending lower. - Central banks, now myopically focused on raising interest rates because they (deliberately?) failed during the post-COVID inflation surge, are likely to make matters worse. - Energy supplies from the Middle East will take months, if not longer, to normalise. - Tensions surrounding Israel will remain exceptionally high for years. - And Trump cannot return home claiming a clear victory that helps him ahead of the midterm elections. I'm sure a lot of people think differently, so help me out here.