Paper Tiger

With three carrier strike groups in the Persian gulf, the US is prepared to go it alone and appears to be burning its bridges behind it.

Note to my future self.

On NATO’s birthday it is being hollowed out.

On this day April 4, 1949 the North Atlantic Treaty was signed and so was born NATO in the aftermath of World War II. It has both kept the peace in Europe and enabled that continent to withstand growing aggression by Soviet Union and now Russia. They have done this through the simple commitment known as Article Five: if one member is attacked, all respond.

Until now. Donald Trump appears bent on dismantling and leaving NATO, calling it “a paper tiger” and demanding that NATO allies join him in his month-old war of choice on Iran. That is the opposite of the intent of the treaty.

Indeed, erstwhile allies are refusing, with several European nations like Spain and Switzerland denying US access to military bases and disallowing flyovers.

Few could have imagined that the potential withdrawal of the United States from NATO would really be potentially in the cards. But it seems more and more possible.

Yesterday’s 2.2 trillion budget proposal from the Trump administration includes a massive 400B increase in spending on defense, coupled with cuts to domestic programs. The US is planning, it seems, for more conflict and less support from other nations.

Meanwhile, Trump has created the so-called board of peace, which includes a handful of nations which pay to be a part of the club, and includes many authoritarian regimes like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Kazakhstan. Notably absent are our democratic allies in Europe.

With three carrier strike groups in the Persian gulf, the US is prepared to go it alone and appears to be burning its bridges behind it.