The Impunity Gap: America’s Decline Reshapes Europe

An op-ed argues the U.S. faces a mounting accountability crisis (Atlas of Impunity ranks it 117th) while its Western allies stay more accountable; Washington’s America First posture and a transactional view of alliances threaten the postwar order. Europe, long reliant on U.S. guarantees and open markets, is contending with rising illiberalism and populism, aided in part by U.S. funding for think tanks that back nationalist movements. The piece urges Europe to act as a custodian of the order—strengthening its own accountability and resilience, learning from smaller states like Montenegro and Albania—before the transatlantic relationship frays irreparably.