The US government has been vehement in its criticism of Europe in recent months — recently insisting that it was heading towards “civilisational erasure”. President Donald Trump has also lamented the expulsion of Russia from the Group of Seven and called for the induction of China within the forum. Details reported from an yet-to-be-released US national security strategy report suggest that the POTUS is now contemplating the formation of a new ‘Core Five’ grouping that will also include India, China, Russia and Japan.
What is Core Five?
According to a Defense One report, the Trump administration has broached the possibility of creating a new body of major powers that will not be constrained by G7 requirements that member nations be both wealthy and democratically governed. The details were reportedly enshrined in an unpublished National Security Strategy document and proposes a “Core 5” made up of India, the US, Russia, China and Japan. The C5 would meet regularly for summits with Middle East security (more specifically normalising relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia) as its first agenda.
Buzz about Core Five was also flagged by a separate Politico report — with security practitioners calling it a ‘plausible’ course of action for the current administration. The White House has also denied the existence of such a document with spokesperson Anna Kelly telling NatSec Daily that “no alternative, private, or classified version” of the official document existed.
What does the official document say about Europe?
The U.S. National Security Strategy, made public last week, caused shock across Europe, with a broadside that said the continent was facing “civilisation erasure” and that U.S. policy should include “cultivating resistance” within the European Union. It painted European allies as weak, while offering tacit support to far-right political parties, and was critical of European free speech and migration policy.