Dutch Strategic Incoherence on chips

The Netherlands signed onto the US-led Pax Silica semiconductor alliance, but as I told De Volkskrant, the decision is strategically incoherent. Under Biden this would have made perfect sense — the West uniting against China. I have in fact argued for this as early as 2021! But against Europe's own autonomy agenda, it raises the obvious question: are you with the Americans or not? Make up your mind.

The signing may be low-cost by design. The alliance isn't binding and doesn't require much that would be hard to walk back. It's essentially free beer — something you can cash in later as a negotiating chip.

The deeper pattern is a country and a continent that keep deferring a choice. If you can get two of the three major blocs — US, China, Europe — on the same side, the situation is stable. But trying to balance both simultaneously is going to get very difficult.

Original article available here