Even though the European Union has about 450 million inhabitants and considerable economic output, it faces a structural dependency on the United States. In key sectors like defense, finance, and digital infrastructure, the USA has significant leverage. For example, Europe's defense capability is currently hardly conceivable without US support in the areas of reconnaissance and nuclear deterrence. In the digital sphere too, US corporations dominate the value chain in cloud services and artificial intelligence, which mainly relegates Europe to the role of a consumer.
In parallel, economists like David McWilliams are analyzing the fundamental importance of money for human civilization. In his work 'Money', he describes money not just as a medium of exchange, but as a social catalyst that can shape societies or cause them to collapse during instability. This historical perspective is supplemented by looks back at the introduction of Euro cash, which marked a historic upheaval in the European monetary architecture with the so-called 'Starterkits' in 2001.
For Germany, a mixed picture is emerging. While US economists like Kenneth Rogoff warn of an economic decline and call for reforms in bureaucracy and energy prices, the fundamental performance capability of German industry is still rated as robust. Nevertheless, transatlantic bloc formation and technological dependencies are increasing the pressure on European politics to develop an independent 'strategische Autonomie'.
