The Owned Continent: How to free Europe from American military, economic and cultural dependence

by Dave Keating

Why have Europeans surrendered to Trump?

In 2025, Europe endured a continental-scale humiliation. The EU and UK gave in to Donald Trump’s tariff extortion – agreeing to lopsided trade deals, tribute-like payments and adjustments to domestic laws. At NATO, European leaders grovelled – calling the US president “daddy” even as he threatened to annex Greenland by force. “They call me the president of Europe,” Trump bragged. Terrified of losing US protection from Russia, European leaders have accepted terms that echo the coercion Europe itself once imposed on China during its ‘century of humiliation’. Yet citizens accepted it. Why?

Journalist Dave Keating says the reason goes far beyond geopolitics. America permeates Europeans’ daily lives: television, music, news, technology, commerce and social media all create psychological dependence. Many Europeans feel so culturally intertwined with the US it’s almost like they live in it – making it hard to imagine America as anything other than a friend. That, Keating contends, is why Europeans capitulated while other global powers like Brazil, China and India didn’t. And it’s why so many can’t accept that the threats to Europe don’t just come from the East, they also come from the West.

The Owned Continent offers a blunt assessment of Europe’s dependence and describes how Trump has exploited it. Yet Keating also proposes a way six essential steps to reclaim strategic autonomy and escape Washington’s control – by using the power of the European Union.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

372 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 9, 2025

About the author

Dave Keating is an American-European journalist in Brussels who has covered EU politics for 20 years. He is a TV correspondent and the author of Gulf Stream Blues on Substack, known for his clear, accessible analysis. A former Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and the editor of EuropeanVoice.com, he was ranked the top EU social media influencer in 2023. Keating draws upon his on-the-ground reporting experience in London, Brussels, Paris, Prague, Berlin, New York, Chicago and Washington to provide context for European political developments.

Reviews

[Marcos Manso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesantísima reflexión sobre Europa, y cómo somos completamente dependientes de Estados Unidos. A nivel sociológico el libro me ha sorprendido, analizando en gran detalle todos los aspectos culturales y psicológicos que bloquean a los Europeos desde hace décadas y han dado las cartas ganadoras a EE.UU. Sin embargo, he echado en falta un análisis más profundo (sobre todo en las soluciones) a nivel político y militar, aunque hay algunas cuestiones de índole económica muy interesantes.

[Drakoulis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for everyone who wants to understand and fight back against the frustrating dependance of the whole West, and Europe in particular, from the United States.

Dave is one of the leading voices for European Sovereignty in Brussels, and this book is not to be missed!

[Claire]

Strong and interesting first half despite editing errors. Patronizing second half with simplistic recommendations. Overall disappointing but a worthwhile read for the first half.