Eduardo Serra began his speech by reviewing the history of three great empires: the Spanish, the British, and, finally, the American. The latter empire reached its absolute consolidation after the Allied victory in World War II. Since then, the United States has fluctuated between two opposing theories: the Monroe Doctrine (which aimed to prevent foreign powers from intervening in U.S. affairs) and U.S. interventionism in countries where it sought to exert hegemony. After 9/11, this interventionist phase was called into question by public opinion, fearing another attack.

To understand the current situation of the United States, it is important to take into account the rise of China, especially in economic terms, and, at the same time, the movement promoted by Trump, «America First.» Both must be analyzed together to explain the past and try to predict the future of U.S. foreign policy. «It is better to have a gendarme than not to have one,» stated Eduardo Serra, «the gendarme who could be is inexcusable if he does not dominate the oceans, and only the United States can dominate them; it is the only country that can be the gendarme of the world.»

After Eduardo Serra’s intervention, the debate began, moderated by the General Director of INCIPE, Vicente Garrido. One of the issues that generated the most interest was the role of the European Union as a potential gendarme. In this regard, Serra emphasized that defense spending is essential. «Europe has become an old continent with little desire to live, still resisting spending on the most basic thing: the ability to defend itself. If you do not have that ability to defend yourself, you can hardly speak in any field. If you don’t start with defense, you won’t get anywhere.»

On the other hand, Serra assessed the relationship between NATO and Europe, commenting that the path in Europe is very clear. On the one hand, accelerate its autonomy and, on the other, maintain the best possible relations with the U.S. In this regard, another of the key issues was Spanish defense spending. Serra believes that Spain should increase its spending. However, he thinks that there will be no substantial increase in defense spending unless the EU imposes it. Serra also noted that Spanish society is not aware of the importance of foreign policy and is unaware of the quality of the armed forces we have.

Regarding China, it is important to note that its rise is unstoppable, and its power and strength are enormous. For this reason, we should strengthen positive ties, as Europe can play a great mediating role between China and the United States.

To conclude, Minister Serra highlighted Biden’s political priorities in contrast to the Trump Administration. Biden faces the challenge of raising the level of U.S. foreign policy, adopting a position different from Trump’s, defending general interests, as the world’s gendarme.

Javier Ubrí
Communication Assistant, INCIPE