OFTEN it’s the contrasts that make life interesting. And this week the contrasting priorities and focus of attention in three key Western capitals made compelling watching.

In Washington, US President Donald Trump dove deeper into trouble, alienating most of the British public with his insulting comments against London’s much-admired mayor Sadiq Khan in the wake of the tragic terror attacks.

He then proceeded to dig himself into even deeper trouble as the ousted head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), James Comey, claimed that the White House was spreading lies about him and had taken “inappropriate action” over the agency’s investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump Administration.

In London, meanwhile, even as Prime Minister Theresa May talked tough following the terror attacks, underlining that human rights may have to be amended to deal with terrorism, the citizens of London stayed calm and carried on.

For most people in Britain, the focus was on the unexpectedly unpredictable national elections which look set to further complicate the Brexit negotiations.

And then there was Brussels. As voters in Britain cast their ballots, many of the country’s best and brightest were in Brussels for the European Union’s annual gathering of the world’s most dedicated and active development experts.

In many ways, the messages from over 7,000 participants in the two-day forum known as the “European Development Days” — which included some of the world’s top international leaders — was simple: “The world isn’t stopping for America.”

One after the other, leaders underlined their determination to abide by the Paris accord on combating climate change. The focus was on mobilising the finances needed to achieve the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And it was on working for peace and security, despite the odds.

Another key message from the forum was equally simple but important: Brexit may be inevitable (many in Europe still hope it won’t happen) but Europe isn’t mourning for Britain.

Ironically, as this column has noted before, Trump and Brexit have given the EU a new lease of life, a new raison d’être and a new sense of purpose.

As Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, said at the European Development Days: “Europe is the smallest continent, but it is also the richest. And as the richest, we have to help others not so fortunate in the lottery of birth to catch up. Development aid is a word of the past. It is about partnership, not aid. And it is time we invested more in that partnership.”

There was much back-slapping as the EU adopted the “European Consensus on Development”, a strategic document, outlining the future of European development policy in the challenging years ahead.

Among other points, the Consensus on Development aims at combining traditional development aid with other resources, including innovative forms of development financing, leveraging private sector investment and mobilising additional domestic resources for development.

But even as Juncker and others waxed lyrical about Europe’s role as a leading development actor, development organisations warned that the new EU policies focused too much on stopping migration and not enough on fighting poverty.

In fact, the consensus is a policy wish list, covering myriad priorities from women and youth empowerment to digital development, peace and security to migration and sustainable development.

Implementing it will require partnerships with the private sector but also national governments, local authorities and civil society actors, including women’s organisations and young people.

Non-governmental organisations have warned that the Consensus redirects parts of its development assistance toward tackling migration — including addressing issues such as people smuggling — after a million refugees and “irregular” migrants arrived in Europe in 2015. Critics say the policy risks blurring the line between security and development.

But others argue that security and development go hand in hand, and there cannot be one without the other.

Interestingly, none of the main speakers at the forum mentioned Donald Trump by name — and Brexit hardly got a mention either.

But it is clear that America’s go-it-alone policies have galvanised not just Europe, but many other countries who believe it is crucial to continue with climate change policies and to support globalisation.

Similarly, while Brexit may be top of the agenda in Britain, the rest of the world is not too concerned about how the world’s once-eminent colonial power fares in the coming years.

Ironically, Britain’s withdrawal from the EU appears to have galvanised the other 27 European countries into becoming more responsive to public demands for change on the domestic level and more active on the global stage.

And Trump’s erratic behaviour has come as a wake-up call to many nations, including EU countries, which once looked at the US as the “indispensable” nation — but now see that life can go on without America.

Could it be that both Washington and London are not just losing their reputation, standing and clout — but actually becoming irrelevant?

—The writer is Dawn’s correspondent in Brussels

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2017