The Owned Continent

Why have Europeans surrendered to Trump? In 2025, Europe endured a continental-scale humiliation. The EU and UK gave in to Donald Trump's tariff extortion - accepting lopsided trade deals, tribute-like payments and adjustments to domestic laws. At NATO, European leaders grovelled ­- calling the US president "daddy" even as he threatened to invade an EU country's territory. "They call me the president of Europe," Trump bragged. Terrified of losing US protection from Russia, European leaders have accepted terms that echo the coersion once imposed on China during its 'century of humiliation'. Yet citizens accepted it. Why? Journalist Dave Keating says the reason goes far beyond geopolitics. America permeates Europeans' daily lives: television, music, news, technology, commerce and social media all create psychological dependence. Many Europeans feel so culturally intertwined with the US it's almost like they live in it ­- making it hard to imagine America as anything other than a friend. That, Keating contends, is why Europeans capitulated while other global powers didn't. And it's why so many can't accept that the threats to Europe don't just come from the East, they also come from the West. The Owned Continent offers a blunt assessment of Europe's dependence and describes how Trump has exploited it. Yet Keating also proposes a way out: six essential steps to reclaim strategic autonomy and escape Washington's control - by using the power of the European Union. About the author: Dave Keating is an American-European journalist in Brussels who has covered EU politics for 20 years. He is a TV correspondent and the author of Gulf Stream Blues on Substack, known for his clear, accessible analysis. A former Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and the editor of EuropeanVoice.com, he was ranked the top EU social media influencer in 2023. Keating draws upon his on-the-ground reporting experience in London, Brussels, Paris, Prague, Berlin, New York, Chicago and Washington to provide context for European political developments.

Dave Keating is an American-European journalist in Brussels who has covered EU politics for 20 years. He is the Brussels correspondent for the international cable news station France 24 and the author of Gulf Stream Blues on Substack. He is known for his clear, accessible analysis of EU affairs. Previously he was a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and he was the editor of EuropeanVoice.com, a side publication of The Economist. He was ranked the top EU social media influencer in 2023. Dave draws upon his on-the-ground reporting experience in London, Brussels, Paris, Prague, Berlin, New York, Chicago and Washington to provide context for European political developments.Originally from the New York City area, Dave holds a bachelors degree in European history from New York University and a masters degree in journalism from Northwestern University. He is a triple American-Italian-Belgian citizen.

Prologue: My European journey Part I: Cultural domination 1. Accidental empire: From Main Street to Marseille 2. American media takes hold 3. The mental impact of cultural colonisation Part II: Economic domination 4. Bretton beginning 5. Europeans are payment prisoners 6. How Europe missed the Internet revolution 7. Energy: Swapping Russian dependence for American Part III: Military domination 8. From the ashes of war 9. The NATO protectorate 10. Europe's daddy complex Part IV: Six essential steps for European independence 11. We must must empower European pop culture 12. We must have a federal Europe 13. We must educate Europeans 14. We must flex Europe's economic muscle 15. We must create an EU army 16. We must make Europeans believe in themselves Endnotes