The Death of NATO?

NATO was created following World War II as the part of the US containment goal to limit and oppose Communism. Its purpose was to keep America new, Russia out, and Germany down. Until the end of the Cold War, it was largely just an empty shell. Individual European countries did have large armed forces, but these were the forces of those independent countries and each country mostly built their own equipment.

With the end of the Cold War, NATO lacked a purpose. There was no Warsaw Pact, no millions of troops ready to invade. Russia was a shell of its prior strength.

Europeans, not yet integrated as the EU, started talking about creating the United States of Europe, as a new Great Power, with close European integration. United Europe would be bigger and stronger than the US and be able to compete at the forefront of the world. It just needed to overcome internal rivalries and bring itself together. Additionally, the US started looking for a Peace Dividend and reducing its forces worldwide and at home.

When Yugoslavia broke up in 1991 and conflict occurred during that, many European leaders sought to respond to the crisis, rather than have the US or NATO respond. In the end, NATO did respond (after European efforts had been sabotaged by certain parties) and helped give NATO a new purpose, as the tool by which the US served as the world’s policeman. NATO became a much larger and more significant presence, even as the armed forces of NATO countries declined in size and strength and even as NATO expanded.

NATO just became a tool of US hegemony and NATO countries increasingly depended upon US technology and equipment, integrating their forces into US commands instead of having independent weapon systems and developments.

NATO expansion was not about any fears regarding Russia, but about extending US power and providing a means wherein member countries (besides the US) could hand off their security needs, allowing them to increase their social welfare state. The US, half the population of Europe, provided the muscle, as well as let Europe benefit from uneven trade relations. It was a very good prospect for Europe, as they could tie up America, while not needing to spend the fortune on defending itself.

NATO expansion was opposed by Russia, but those concerns were mostly ignored. The defense industry needed new markets for its goods and old enemies to point to, so that the funding would continue.

When Trump became president in 2017, he challenged NATO to increase its own defense spending, but NATO countries largely ignored him. They liked the situation and could not envision the day when NATO would end.

Now, with the huge division between the US and Europe regarding Ukraine, it appears that NATO might be closer to death. The US will not be pulled into Europe’s follies. This is not the first time America said “No”. In 1956, after Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal, Israel, the United Kingdom, and France decided to join up and go to war with Egypt. Israel successfully conquered Sinai, and the British and French seized the Canal. Eisenhower then told them “no” and forced them to withdraw. At the time, both the UK and France still had worldwide empires and were viewed as Great Powers, but this outcome proved to both countries that they had fallen below the US.

Eisenhower wanted to avoid conflict with the Soviet Union over Egypt, just like he refused to intervene into the Hungarian crisis that occurred at the same time.

Now, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants to openly put troops in Ukraine, and then pull in the US through NATO. Poland and the Baltic republics have been agitating against Russia. Romania’s presidential elections have been derailed to prevent the rise of a Euro-skeptic president.

NATO has become an aggressor entity and NATO leaders and countries are attempting to use the alliance to force the US to engage in policies against US interests. These efforts show that the alliance has long outlived its usefulness. It should have died 30 years ago. The End of NATO would free the US from entangling alliances with countries that do not share American goals and interests. The free ride should be over.

Will Trump let NATO die? If NATO continues the Ukraine War and opposes peace, if NATO countries seek to entangle America for their own interests, it is time to let it die once and for all.

Besides, Europeans do not want to defend themselves. They want their robust social welfare program to continue and do not want to sacrifice to build up their armed forces.

The end of NATO does not mean that the US needs to become hostile to all the NATO countries. The US has close friendships with countries with it is not formally aligned. Instead, it just means America can look at its own needs and not cover for the weaknesses of Europe.