Donald Trump’s return may also have an impact on NATO, the most powerful military organization in the world. The United States spends the most money on this group. Trump was very angry about this and had made statements several times that he would reduce or stop funding NATO. If this happens, what can countries that depend on it for their security do? Is there any Plan B that these countries have? Can the emphasis on making nuclear weapons increase after this?
What is NATO, what was its purpose?
This is a military alliance. Western countries jointly created it in the early 1950s. The intention then was that they would provide military assistance to each other in the event of a foreign, especially Russian, attack. The United States, Great Britain, France and Canada were its founding members. These countries were strong, but they were afraid of the Soviet Union (now Russia). After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, many countries that were part of it joined NATO. Russia has as a counterpart the Warsaw Pact, in which there are many countries, including Russia, that do not trust the West as much.
Who can become a member?
For this it is necessary that there be democracy in the country. You become a leader through elections. It is also important to be financially strong. But the most important thing is that the country’s army is also strong to be able to support in case of any attack. The country itself shows interest in becoming a member and former members can also invite you. Only after this approval is given.
In his last term, Trump had issued a major warning about NATO, saying that if member countries’ defense spending is not increased, the United States will also reduce aid. Now, this time also during the election campaign, NATO continued to be Trump’s target. He hinted many times that he would retire from this organization.
Trump’s anger has its own reasons
In fact, the United States currently contributes about 70 percent of this group’s total spending. There is also a reason for this. In 2014, all NATO members had decided together that they would spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense. This is the minimum expense, which is also called the invoice. Most countries are lagging behind in this matter, while the United States spent about 3.5 percent of its GDP on defense. After this came Poland, Greece and the United Kingdom.
Obama has also expressed his discontent
Over the past few years, some countries did not contribute their share due to economic conditions. American leaders began to get angry over this issue. This dissatisfaction persisted long before Trump. For example, in the 1970s, then-President Richard Nixon expressed discontent with the European contribution to NATO and said that the United States would support them but that they would have to take responsibility for their own defense. Similarly, Barack Obama had also asked European countries to increase their defense budget.
These countries are the ones that spend the least
Despite Germany’s high GDP, it is not spending money on defense. NATO’s own data says that Germany spent only 1.57% on defense. Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg are the ones that spend the least money. NATO had asked to spend this large portion of GDP on recruiting soldiers, training and weapons so that if countries were ever attacked, they would be prepared. In the event of a major attack, the entire burden may fall on the United States.
Why is the threat of a NATO withdrawal scary?
Although NATO makes decisions with the consent of everyone, the United States is the most powerful among them. It has a lot of military power. Most importantly, it has an arsenal of nuclear weapons. All European countries have taken it as a guarantee of security and are calm. In such a situation, Trump’s threat is disturbing. Let us tell you that Article 5 of NATO says that if there is an attack on any country in Europe or North America, then it will be considered an attack against all members. As the current situation is, the geopolitical calculations are wrong, there is a lot of unrest in the countries.
Will the United States walk away from NATO just because Trump wants it?
Technically this is not possible. Under the process there, to end any international treaty, the president needs Senate approval. This can only be done if there is at least two-thirds consent. However, the president has many powers in foreign policy, for example, he can make important decisions by executive orders even without the consent of the Senate.
These countries are highly dependent on NATO.
Many countries, relying on the collective security system, did not make any preparations. For example, countries like Luxembourg and Iceland have very limited military forces of their own. The dependence on NATO can be measured by the fact that even many strong countries do not have their own nuclear weapons, such as Germany, Italy and Türkiye. They depended on the American arsenal for their security. This is the reason why with the arrival of Trump there is panic in these countries regarding defense.
What other military organizations in Europe?
Currently in these countries the increase in the military budget is being debated. Apart from this, another military group has been formed in Europe in the name of Plan B, whose name is Common Security and Defense Policy. According to this, the European Union has a military capacity of 300,000 soldiers, who will help its member countries in case of emergency. However, it has very limited forces and resources compared to NATO.
