Time for a European defense pact
Donald Trump is doing Europe a favor with his notorious statement that Russia “can do whatever the hell they want” with any NATO member that Trump may think “owes” protection money to the United States. The past president and likely candidate for the presidency sees the Western Alliance as a mafia operation where the Godfather demands subservience and cash – or something unpleasant happens to a careless client.
Trump is not bothered by the detail that what the Alliance wants is that member-states spend at least 2 percent of their GDP annually on their defense, not that they send a “subscription” to some American head office for protection. That is why Trump (a world-class delinquent, as his legal adventures suggest), claims that member-states “owe” money to the United States – to “me,” as he puts it. And, as is well known, what Trump says, Trump tries to achieve. It is not a done deal that Trump will win, of course. But his declared intentions are enough for Europeans to understand that they cannot depend on the United States to the extent that they did.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg was correct to note that the mere suggestion that the Alliance may not act in the way stipulated by Article 5 (for the immediate support of any member which faces a threat) undermines the security of Americans and Europeans. NATO is an unparalleled deterrent force precisely because it joins so many countries in a single front against any threat faced by its largest or smallest member. In addition, it not only binds members together militarily but also provides the United States with a privileged position for arms sales and for influencing their politics and diplomacy. The complicated relationship between Greece and the United States, and between both countries and Turkey, shows the breadth and depth of American “penetration” in foreign countries. This is not always to the benefit of the smaller powers, of course, but undeniably in favor of America, providing it with a degree of influence that it could not buy with money.
If Trump and his supporters do not understand how NATO functions and how the Alliance benefits their country, it is time for the Europeans to realize that their security cannot depend on a third party. And they need to know that if security is not collective it is inadequate. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, the flare-up in the Middle East, the unpredictability of the United States, confirm the need for a strong defense framework that will include all the members of the EU and Britain (and Turkey, if it finally decides which side of the fence it is on). Until now, the proven capabilities of NATO were an argument (proffered chiefly by the British) against establishing a credible European defense force. Now it is imperative that this force be developed quickly. And if it is to be part of NATO, so much the better.
