Bangladesh, Aug. 19 -- The spectacle of European leaders shuttling off to Washington to plead for “security guarantees” has become a grimly familiar ritual. What once might have been framed as diplomacy or alliance management now resembles something closer to a client state dutifully offering tribute. With US President Donald Trump back in the White House, the choreography has grown even more humiliating for Europes leaders. They arrive, cap in hand, talk a big game about “shared values” and “strategic necessity,” then depart having signed on to fund the Pentagons latest wishlist while their own citizens brace for higher taxes, soaring energy prices, and stagnant living standards.

At the heart of this ...