Prime Minister Theresa May has stated that US President Donald Trump is "100 percent behind" NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation), AL Jazeera noted. But the questions to ask are, what is NATO, what has it done and crucially why is Trump against it?
The first visit
Theresa May was the first foreign leader to visit the new President since he was sworn in a week ago. In a joint press conference May said that Trump had given strong backing to NATO. May went on to state that the two countries are "united in our recognition of NATO as the bulwark our collective defence".
What is NATO?
Looking back, what is NATO and what has it done for the international community? Formed in 1949, the organisation is "an active and leading contributor to peace and security on the international stage" as stated on the NATO website. Although committed to the "peaceful resolution of disputes". However if that fails military action can be used. After The Cold War NATO became increasingly "proactive" within the international community and conducted several military operations. These included 'Operation Anchor Guard', the intervention as a result of Iraqi forces invading Kuwait in August 1990. After the break-up of the Soviet Union in December 1991, NATO assisted in numerous international relief efforts.
More recently there have been NATO action in Afghanistan, the African Union and in securing the Mediterranean Sea.
Why is Trump against it?
So why is Donald Trump against the alliance? one major problem is the cost of lives that comes with NATO. Its Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that more than 1,000 European soldiers have died fighting alongside US forces in Afghanistan, as stated on the Time website.
Another major issue is the financial aspect. The BBC noted that in 2015 only five of NATO's 28 members "reached the target" of spending 2 percent of GDP on defence. Another problem concerns the fact that the US seem to be doing most of the work. Donald Trump stated that other nations who are "party to the treaty" have not sufficiently "carried their own weight", leaving "much of the work" to the US, as reported on the Politico website.
It is as a result of this that Trump stated that the United States "might not automatically fullfil its obligation" to defend other NATO countries and even went further to describe the alliance as "obsolete".
Although critical of the alliance, I do not see America leaving, particularly after the visit of Theresa May. Although the US shoulders much of the firepower and cost, that is the unfortunate flip side of the being the richest and strongest nation in the world; the only superpower you may say. It is a moral obligation to use their resources and capabilities to help those in need. If they do not, it will cause major problems throughout the world.
