Donald Trump is a man with a mission. Many feel he is inconsistent in his thoughts and ideas. But the fact is that Trump has a line of thought and he does not deviate much from it. His opinion about NATO is a case in point. All along Trump has been stating that NATO is obsolete and not in tune with present day political scenario. He has changed that view but has not accepted NATO as it has existed for the last seven decades. During the last NATO heads meeting, he read the Riot Act to the leaders on the question of funding for the military alliance.
Now funding is the lifeblood of any organization. Trump, by his diktat that the EU powers pay their share of the military budget really hit at the roots of the alliance. The glum faces of the NATO leaders when Trump spoke about funding is proof that times have changed. Trump made it clear that the US citizen cannot be expected to fund NATO.
NATO and its rationale
NATO is a military alliance that was launched to counter the Soviet Union. The monolith state collapsed and now the rationale for its existence is simply not there. The EU was keen that it continue by raising the bogey of Russia and they wanted the old arrangements to continue with the USA footing 90 percent of the bill.The fact is 23 of the 28 states who are part of the alliance have not paid their dues in full for decades.
The EU leaders were keen that the old arrangements continue. This was a boon for them as they concentrated on trade and industry and built up a massive trade deficit with the USA. America was at the receiving end.
Trump scolds
Donald Trump has changed all this. He has also not endorsed Article 5 of the pact that states that an attack on one NATO power would be considered an attack on the entire block.
This has sounded the alarm bells and has led the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to say the EU must not rely on the UK and USA completely.
Germany
Germany is the powerhouse of the EU and a rising world power. It has a tremendous trade deficit in its favor with the USA. It dominates the EU. Donald Trump was right to ask countries like Germany to pay up.
He also promised to cut the trade deficit.
Future
The EU is in trouble on many issues. The UK has left and there are rumblings of dissent among other members. France has a sizeable number who wish to leave the EU.NATO has also to reinvent itself. In future, it will have to pay for its defense as the US economy under strain cannot subsidize massive amounts of money to shore up NATO. The US president has done a great service to America by highlighting this fact during the last NATO leaders conference
