Providence Magazine’s Post

TRUMP LIES: Trump said, “For years we were paying almost all of NATO. We were being ripped off by European nations, both on trade and on NATO. I got them to pay up.” TRUTH: Trump incorrectly characterizes the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Member countries make direct contributions to the organization, based on national income, and also agree to spend at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on their own defense. Trump’s complaints led to NATO reducing the United States’ contribution to the common fund. Previously the United States paid about 22 percent of its central budget, and it dropped to 16 percent. And the number of countries meeting that 2 percent guideline increased to 10 from five in recent years. Trump can claim some credit for increased spending, but it’s worth noting that countries pledged in 2014 to meet that goal within a decade.

NATO has turned 75. When its leaders meet in Washington in July, they will celebrate the fact that it has endured so long. But an alliance needs to do more than survive to be truly successful. It also needs to serve the interests of its members. NATO’s history is the story of a struggle to do this—despite major disparities between U.S. and European military power, a growing number of allies, diverging interests, and an expanding geographic scope. Today, allies are unified in the face of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. But unless adjustments are made to adapt a much larger alliance to a more complex geopolitical environment, history reveals that this unity may be fleeting. I explain the four phases of NATO's history in today's Foreign Policy:

For 75 years, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been a force for peace that stared down the Soviet Union. NATO is one of the most successful collective defense alliances in history. Both the Democrat and the Republican parties (except for Trump) have credited the alliance with contributing to the security, prosperity and liberty of Americans — and the world. NATO came into being with the signing of the Washington Treaty on April 9, 1949. The alliance became a true deterrent to the Soviet Union. In 1952, Greece and Turkey joined, and in 1955, West Germany. Spain joined in 1982. This solidarity worked. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 shredded the Iron Curtain. 1992 the Soviet Union itself imploded, and the nations of Eastern and Central Europe were free to choose their own courses. A total of 14 former communist nations joined NATO — from Albania to Slovenia. Shared Democratic Values NATO is more than a simple alliance of 32 nations. NATO countries share similar world views. "Today, we once more reaffirm that our shared democratic values — and our willingness to stand up for them — is what makes NATO the greatest military alliance in the history of the world," Biden said in March as he welcomed NATO's newest member, Sweden, into the alliance. "It is what draws nations to our cause. It is what underpins our unity." NATO is not just the largest peacetime military alliance in the world, it is integral to American interests and well-being. "Generation after generation, the United States and our fellow allies have chosen to come together to stand up for freedom and push back against aggression — knowing we are stronger, and the world is safer, when we do," Biden said in a statement celebrating the 75th anniversary of NATO's founding. Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 highlighted NATO's importance. In 2014, when Russia first invaded Ukraine and occupied Crimea, only three NATO member states had achieved the alliance's goal of 2% of gross domestic product devoted to defense. This year, 24 nations are expected to at least make the 2% level and many nations are taking that percentage of expenditures as the floor, not the ceiling for defense appropriations. Last year saw the ninth consecutive rise in European and Canadian defense spending. And in 2024, NATO members in Europe will invest a total of $470 billion in defense. https://lnkd.in/eDudQb5g

President Joe Biden is one week away from hosting the other 31 NATO allies in Washington for what was originally billed as a triumphant pageant to celebrate 75 years of the most successful defensive pact in history. Instead, both Biden’s team and America’s allies are reeling from his debate disaster one week earlier and wondering what it means for NATO and world peace. That televised ordeal reminded friend and foe alike that the incumbent president is six years older than NATO but with none of its vigor or coherence. It also showed yet again that the alternative leader is even worse. Not only is Donald Trump also older than NATO; he disdains the alliance as much as ever and is likely to gut its deterrence by dangling a giant question mark over the American commitment to mutual defense with all means, up to and including nukes. So brace yourself for awkward group photos and convoluted summit-speak, as everyone from NATO’s outgoing secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, to his incoming successor, Mark Rutte, attempts to plaster over the cracks. Hoping to impress their main bogey, Russian President Vladimir Putin, the allies will try to project unity, resolve and strength. What will peek through instead are internal contradictions and self-doubt. No amount of hugging the newly allied Swedes and Finns or the ever-exposed Estonians or Latvians can hide the anxious glances aimed at... [Read the whole column] Bloomberg Opinion https://lnkd.in/emk32bqt

The Illusion of Security. The Ukraine War was incited by NATO, so what can the EU expect once it fortifies NATO irresponsibility? The United States should step back from NATO and defuse exploding membership in BRICs at this point - for economic reasons if not for security reasons. NATO are dividing the World into two polarized and imaginary "sides" - learning nothing at all from the disasters of WWI and WWII.

A timely reflection on NATO by Umit Kurt. He examines NATO's evolution from its Cold War origins to its current role. Kurt highlights NATO's adaptability and strategic initiatives, and discusses internal dynamics, emphasizing the importance of unity among member states despite differing political and defense priorities. Kurt concludes that NATO remains crucial for global security, advocating for sustained investment in collective defense to meet emerging threats. https://lnkd.in/eWhuYMnY #natosummit #nato

With the recent proliferation of maudlin pro-NATO rhetoric, important and controversial first principles have not been explored, such as: Why are we in NATO? Why didn’t NATO dissolve after 1991? And how much “peace in Europe” has NATO really secured? My latest on the subject: https://lnkd.in/e4Mj-S3K

ENJOY THE CHALLENGE - "NATO celebrates the 75th anniversary of its founding on 4 April 1949!" - Robert Person & Michael McFaul 1. As an instrument of democracy promotion, NATO has been fantastically successful 2. From the very beginning, the alliance was not just about security, but also democratic values. The preamble to the founding 1949 North Atlantic Treaty declares, “The Parties to this Treaty … are determined to safeguard the freedom, common heritage, and civilization of their peoples, founded on principles of democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law.” 3. NATO was the answer in preventing Joseph Stalin’s aggressive and violent totalitarian regime from dominating the European continent. 4. Security provided by NATO — which also kept American military power rooted in Europe —created propitious conditions for economic growth and prosperity in Europe. The Marshall Plan first, and the European Union later, were the main instruments for fostering economic recovery and growth on the continent. But neither the Marshall Plan nor the EU could have achieved their successes without the security provided by NATO. 5. The process of joining NATO in 1999 for three new democracies in Eastern Europe (the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland) included undertaking political reforms to strengthen democracy, human rights, and the rule of law as spelled out in their Membership Action Plans (MAP). 6. After democratic deficits were addressed Slovakia was invited to join the 2004 round of enlargement with Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovenia upon successful completion of their respective MAPs. 7. With the exception of Finland (2023) and Sweden (2024), which had already fully met membership requirements, every round of enlargement in the last twenty years has relied on individually tailored MAPs to encourage, incentivize, and support aspirants to bring their institutions in line with the standards and values embedded in the North Atlantic Treaty. 8. Each country that has joined NATO has done so through its own sovereign, democratic political processes — usually through ratification by a democratically elected national parliament, sometimes in conjunction with a national referendum. 9. When the war ends, NATO should invite Ukraine immediately to join. 10. Tragically, Putin’s wars in Europe, including his barbaric war in Ukraine today, have compelled NATO members to refocus on the alliance’s original mission — deterring an attack from Moscow. 11. A Ukrainian victory will make it less likely that Putin will threaten NATO allies in the future, but the converse is also true: A Ukrainian defeat will encourage Putin to threaten NATO countries. So as NATO turns 75 this week, its members can celebrate the alliance’s impressive achievements not only in keeping the peace in Europe, but also in spreading democracy on the continent — and then the next day, get back to work". The mission is not yet complete - Steve Slava Ukraini

While the war in #Ukraine has reinvigorated #NATO, the Alliance still suffers from some serious internal contradictions - issues that policymakers now gathered in Washington need to address, if they want the bloc to thrive. I explain, in the latest installment of AFPC Insights. https://lnkd.in/efWB-TDf

Cannot agree more,is time to revert and stop the attempt of going back to Cold War times. "with a much larger alliance, persistent gaps in #military strength, and divergent interests, managing NATO’s tensions will be even more difficult than in the past". #strategicthinking #strategicpartnerships #peace #globalgoals #sdgs #global #globalisation #peacemaking #Europe #geopolitics https://lnkd.in/d7i7Vb9w