By Nawab Khan
BRUSSELS, Nov 10 (KUNA) -- European leaders, officials and analysts until Tuesday were so overconfident of a Donald Trump defeat and a victory for Hillary Clinton that they did not give much thought if the results were otherwise.
But now they are scrambling to recalculate how the Republican politician's entry into the White House will impact on transatlantic relations, global security and Europe's geopolitical role.
Reactions emerging from European capitals echo a sense of fear and uncertainty, along with a multitude of questions, but also expressions of reconciliation.
In an appeasing move, EU leaders Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker were swift to congratulate Trump and even invited him to a summit with them at his "earliest convenience." But the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz captured the apprehensive mood in Europe.
"Most questions concerning the external outlook of the future Trump presidency are yet to be answered. From Syria to Iraq, from Ukraine to Libya, Trump's role in diplomacy and deal-making will be tested from day-one and will require the right mix of responsibility, restraint and leadership," he commented.
French President Franأ§ois Hollande said, "what is at stake today is peace, the fight against terrorism, the situation in the Middle East, the preservation of the planet." Hollande said he will engage in a dialogue with the new US Administration on all these subjects.
"But I will do so with vigilance and honesty because some of the positions taken by Donald Trump during the election campaign should be challenged against the values and interests that we share with the United States," he noted.
The leader of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament Gianni Pittella was more blunt in his reaction.
He described Trump's victory as a "sad day for the entire world." "Donald Trump is the expression of a virus that has deeply infected our societies, not only in the US but also in Europe. Now the question facing us is: will Europe be pushed to reform itself and finally become an anti-body capable of balancing and fighting against this virus," lamented the Italian politician.
Some European leaders are saying that Trump's victory is a wake-up call for Europe to set its own house in order.
"With Trump's finger now on the nuclear button, it is clear that we have missed the opportunity to secure genuine disarmament and a ban on all nuclear weapons," said the President of the European United Left in the European Parliament Gabi Zimmer.
"It is high time that this system of superpowers is replaced by a new global security order that includes all interests. We at the European Union should be the driving force to push for a more inclusive and secure world order," said Zimmer.
On the other side of the spectrum, right-wing parties are jubilant over Trump's victory. Austrian far-right leader Heinz-Christian Strache congratulated Trump on his victory.
"The political left as well as the aloof and sleazy establishment are being punished by voters and voted out of various decision-making positions," he said.
Marine le Pen, the leader of far right French party National Front and candidate for France's Presidential election in 2017, congratulated Trump and the American people, while her deputy Florian Philippot, tweeted, "their world is collapsing. Ours is being built." Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban perhaps was the only exception among European leaders to express his happiness over Trump's election victory.
"What a great news. Democracy is still alive" he posted on his Facebook page.
Security and economic concerns are high on the minds of European decision-makers.
The British columnist Giles Merritt noted that "security is set to be among Europe's greatest concerns, given the uncertainties in Ukraine, Syria and the wider Mediterranean and Caspian regions." Merrit who heads the Brussels-based think Friends of Europe, warned that "far from being the main security guarantor, it seems possible the United States will soon be the source of greater instability." On the economic front, Trump's protectionist sentiments and his opposition to multilateral trade deals like the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) pose a serious threat to US and EU trade and investment - and to the global economy too, he warned.
Analysts also note that the opinion poll industry in the West is all but broken. The predictions and prognostics of their pundits on the outcome of the US elections proved to be totally wrong, like the ones on the referendum in the UK on Brexit.(end) nk.tg