Luuk van Middelaar, director of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, says Europe must move fast in response to US President Trump's harsh new world order. Van Middelaar calls Trump's agenda "offensive, almost imperial" and says it is advancing rapidly. This sudden shift has left Europe disoriented. Van Middelaar is a respected political theorist and historian. He has advised European leaders and writes for major newspapers like Le Monde and The Guardian. His works on EU political evolution are widely read and awarded. He urges Europe to clearly understand and act on the changing geopolitical landscape. The start of 2026, he says, shows how urgent this response is. Europe faces big challenges as the US pushes a more forceful global role that risks destabilizing long-standing alliances.