The Secretary-General of NATO directedNATO“, Mark Rutte, congratulated Trump, looking forward to “working with him again to advance peace through strength across the alliance.”
Rutte reminded in his congratulations For Trumpwith the increasing number of challenges at the global level, starting from Russia, which he described as “the most aggressive,” to terrorism, and strategic competition with China, as well as “the growing trend toward an alliance between China, Russia, and North Korea.” And Iran“.
Trump has consistently expressed his displeasure that NATO allies are “taking advantage of his country” as a result of not meeting a spending target of 2 percent of GDP for each of its 32 members, to the point of saying he would encourage Russia to attack NATO countries that have not met that target, a decade later. The Allies pledged this at the Wales Summit in 2014.
Speaking to Sky News Arabia, former NATO officials and observers believe that despite the threats made by Trump to NATO, he is unlikely to withdraw from the alliance completely, but he will continue to pressure through the “shock therapy” tactic, to push countries. Europe to increase its defense spending and enhance its military contribution.
US defense spending is expected to reach a record $968 billion in 2024, while the budgets of the 30 European allies plus Canada are estimated at about $506 billion, or 34 percent of the total.
The Guardian newspaper says that 23 out of 32 NATO members expect to spend more than 2 percent of GDP on defense this year, but in 2014, when the target was set, the percentage of non-US defense spending in NATO was 24 percent. It is less than now, but not significantly.
Trump’s dealings with NATO
Former NATO official, Jimmy Shea, said in an interview with Sky News Arabia that “Trump used strong language about NATO, and we will hear that again with his return to the country.” The White House“.
Shea explained that Trump is using this language as a pressure tactic to push NATO allies to increase their defense spending and enhance their military contribution to the alliance, after previously seeing “shock therapy” yielding results.
Shea, who currently works as a fellow at the Friends of Europe Foundation in Brussels, believes that Trump “will not withdraw from NATO, as the United States is deeply intertwined with the alliance in terms of planning, deployment of forces, infrastructure, and bases, and American bases in Europe Vital for the deployment of Washington’s forces in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, and much of the additional money that European countries spend on defense goes to American defense companies, creating thousands of jobs and generating good profits in the United States.
Regarding the difference between Trump’s dealings with NATO in his second term compared to the situation during his first term, Shea said, “NATO is now in a better and stronger condition than it was during Trump’s first term. The Europeans are spending a lot on defense, even though 9 allies have not arrived yet.” To a target of 2 percent of GDP, they are also increasing arms production and deploying more troops in Eastern Europe.
He continued, saying: “Trump values strength and wants allies who are capable and ready to defend themselves, so today NATO can present more convincing arguments for the second Trump administration, but he will certainly demand more efforts, and may ask the Europeans to spend 3 percent or more of their gross domestic product on defense.” The Europeans have no choice but to move forward, as they cannot defend themselves without the United States.”
Questions about Trump’s position on the alliance
From New York, Michael Hanna, director of the American program at the International Crisis Group, explained to Sky News Arabia that there are many current questions regarding the US President-elect’s dealings with NATO, as Trump has been constantly hostile and skeptical towards American alliances.
“There is an ongoing debate between those calling for burden-sharing, and others in Trump’s circle who want to see a stronger shift toward holding Europe more responsible for its defense,” Hanna noted. Of course, there are many ways in which Trump could undermine NATO if he chose to do so, “Including publicly questioning Article 5 of the NATO Charter, the extent to which this point is reached may depend on how NATO responds to the incoming Trump team.”
Article Five of the NATO Charter stipulates that “any attack or armed aggression against one party in the Alliance is considered an aggression against them all, and they have the right to respond by taking measures that the Alliance, led by Washington, deems necessary immediately, individually and in agreement with other parties, including Use the force of arms to restore and maintain the security of the northern region Atlantic“.
Hanna explained that Trump’s vision also stems from his position towards… UkraineThe president-elect and his team have made clear that they want to change their approach to Kiev, perhaps radically. “They have pinned their hopes on making peace on terms more favorable to Russia, but there is a great deal of doubt about how they will respond.” Vladimir Putin “For such initiatives, and how the Trump administration will act if their offers for a settlement are rejected.”
