Vagrants Cause Political Damage to the Alliance / Article / LSM.LV

To discuss the seriousness of the conflict with the leaders of other NATO countries and what can be expected from this summit, Arthur Konohov, Latvian Radio correspondent in Brussels, called on Former director of political planning of NATO, Fabris Pötter. He is currently working for Rasmussen Global, a former Secretary General of NATO

A K Onohovs : The time has come for the NATO summit, and it seems that this time One question, namely, what US President Donald Tramps could say to the leaders of other countries, how much will he be with them? Do you think we should all be worried about this? Is it, however, an exaggerated threat?

Fabris Pitrier: I think Tramps has already organized its own summit and says all that it means: that Europeans do not spend enough on defense much than they do. they save at the expense of the United States and that he wants to change it. Therefore, to a large extent, it is already clear what will happen at this summit and what will be discussed. The problem is a growing gap between all the good things that NATO actually does, including in Latvia (in the last two years it has really accelerated the pace and is doing its best to maintain politically serious deterrence ) and at the political level. To this, the leader of only one member country of the Alliance does not benefit from his membership and does not hide his disagreements with the other members.

Tramps has created a serious problem for NATO: very good things are done in practice. And that means that everything that is implemented in practice loses some of its credibility.

You must remember that NATO is not just a military organization. It is mainly a political alliance. This means that countries must demonstrate that they are united in their goals and commitments. But if they can not show such a unit, then you can place the soldiers as much as you want, but players like Russia will not take it seriously.

Some experts are already warning that if everything goes on as before, it will only be the question time before Tramps announces the US withdrawal from NATO. Do you think that these concerns could be justified?

This is not impossible, but it is a very unlikely likelihood. There is a simple reason for this: the withdrawal of an international agreement such as the Washington Treaty requires the consent of the US Congress. But NATO enjoys broad support between the two main parties. Therefore, I do not think anything like that can happen soon. But Tramps can already start playing with the presence of the United States in Europe and the United States support to Ukraine. He can not stop it completely, because here too Congress has to say its name, because it gives funds to US forces in Europe. But in a way, he has already inflicted damage to the Alliance

It is a political loss because Tramps has shown that his position does not coincide with that of other members. And that really hurts the reputation of the Alliance

So you do not worry too much about the recent rumors that the United States could abandon its military bases in Germany?

You will never know how he will act. We all hoped that he would not refuse Iran's nuclear deal, but he refused. Therefore, Tramp should not be underestimated. However, its maneuvering options here are somewhat limited, since not only Congress but also the Pentagon strongly supports the presence of US forces in Europe. And this is not a charity. First of all, this presence guarantees a degree of stability in Europe, in line with US strategic interests. But from a practical point of view, these bases are used to allow US forces to come and go from the Middle East. Therefore, they are very useful for what America does outside of Europe.

There are also experts who say that European leaders should try to persuade not Tramp but their citizens, their society that protection requires more money. Most people in Germany, the Netherlands or Belgium, where we are now, do not really understand why he should spend so much money for the army if there are social problems , educational and many other needs in the country. Do you agree that the focus should be on people's persuasion?

Yes, of course. But the next question is this: are sharp criticisms helping or preventing European governments from persuading their taxpayers and their constituents to increase defense spending? Can the German Chancellor really tell his constituents that Germany needs to increase defense spending, as Mr. Tramps very clearly does? I think politically this is not the best tactic

States should say that the defense budget should be increased for their own security. And more, it will also be possible to better solidify with countries like the United States.

In my opinion, this should be the opposite of the approach. The Laughless Tramp Declarations Only Reduced the Chance for Maneuvering European Leaders

BACKGROUND:

US President Donald Tramps has already sent threatening letters to leaders in several countries. Among them, the German Chancellor and the Norwegian Prime Minister. In letters, Tramps once again points out that it is unacceptable that the United States is paying the bulk of NATO spending.