Dear MEL Topic Readers,
What do Trump's latest comments on leaving Nato mean for the alliance?
The aftermath of World War II saw much of Europe devastated, while the
Soviet Union-backed communists were threatening elected governments across
Europe. To safeguard the freedom, democracy, and security of Western allies
through collective defense, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was proposed
by the US and established in 1949 with 12 member states from Europe and North
America. NATO is a defensive alliance that ensures the security of all member countries,
stating that an armed attack against one member is considered an attack against
all members in Article 5 of the treaty. Of the current 32 members, the US’s military
assets, intelligence, and budget surpass the total of the other member countries.
For example, the US’s military budget makes up over 60% of NATO’s total defense
spending, which seems to frustrate the deal-conscious incumbent US president.
Another thing that irritates him is that while the US and most NATO countries
have been supporting Ukraine in its defense war against Russia, even though Ukraine
is not a NATO member state, Europeans have not been supporting the US and
Israel’s war against Iran. Recently, he said NATO is a paper tiger, and he was
reconsidering the US membership in NATO. This not only makes its allies reevaluate
their security alliance with the USA but also stimulates other regional powers
to redraw their respective regional maps. What will come next?
Read the article and learn about the US’s influence on the 77-year-old
defense treaty.
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