European and Middle East priorities in the Middle East.
The US killing of Iran’s Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani on January 3 focused international attention on continuing tensions between Tehran and Washington and revealed deep and ongoing fractures in the transatlantic alliance. These strains were not caused by Soleimani's death; they stem from fundamental strategic differences on Middle Eastern policy priorities between the transactional Trump administration and a multilaterally oriented Europe.
Trump’s re-election could further divide European from US interests in the Middle East.
Europe’s main focus in the Middle East will continue to be security and controlling migration, with less concern for human rights.
Future EU-UK foreign policy unity will hinge on safeguarding security and defence cooperation post-Brexit.
European efforts to reduce dependence on the dollar as a reserve currency, such as creating an independent SWIFT system, will gain support.
