🪖 Europe's hawks misread US midterm message as green light for more war European politicians treating the Republican defeat in the US midterms as a return to “normal” transatlantic harmony - and more money and weapons for Ukraine – are deluding themselves, reports Responsible Statecraft. 👉 EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas immediately expressed hope that the new Congress will “strengthen support for Ukraine.” What European mainstream forces appear to ignore is that the US vote was driven by public backlash against costly, open-ended wars, argues the publication. Multiple polls (AP-NORC, NYT/Siena, Gallup) showed that cost of living and the Iran war were the dominant issues for 75–80% of US voters. ➡️ European leaders thought trying to keep the US administration onboard against Russia in the Ukraine conflict was worth the price of following America into the Middle East debacle, speculates the report. Some governments actively facilitated US operations by providing bases, and NATO’s Mark Rutte boasted about thousands of sorties launched from European soil. Now, European citizens pay the inflation price and countries that hosted attacks are potential targets for Iranian retaliation. The only serious path forward for Europe, argues the publication, is to restore independent diplomacy in the Middle East with regional players and engage with Russia on Ukraine. 👍 Substack | Chat | @geopolitics_prime