Europe ignores the barbarians at its gate

If a Trump administration abandons Ukraine in its hour of need and makes good on threats to make Europe take responsibility for its own protection, a revolution in military and diplomatic thinking will be required. The continent looks wholly unprepared for it. NATO celebrates its 75th birthday this year. The transatlantic alliance has been extraordinarily successful at keeping the peace - but with or without Trump, its American underpinning can't be guaranteed in perpetuity. Geography dictates, however, that Russia will always be a factor in European affairs. Talking to diplomats in Asia in recent weeks, I detected a similar pessimism…