By Don Schmitz
NATO has been a bedrock military alliance for its members since 1949 and is arguably as important today as during its inception, but it’s complicated. Originally 10 European countries, the U.S., and Canada, 19 more countries have joined in nine rounds of enlargement.
Formed to counter the overt threat from the USSR, it has been subject to revaluation after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. However, not only did NATO endure, it grew, and now with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, NATO nations look to the east with a similar trepidation as they did before. The Soviets openly advocated “liberating” the world with socialism by military force and were only stymied by the determination of the West to resist them. Article 5 of the NATO charter provides that if a NATO ally is the victim of an armed attack, every other member of the alliance will consider this as an armed attack against all members and will take the actions it deems necessary to assist that ally.
Should the Soviets have surged across the iron curtain all Western Europe would have counter attacked, most importantly the U.S., which stationed tactical and intermediate nuclear weapons and a stated willingness to use them. Stalemate, which lasted for 46 years, until the U.S.S.R. collapsed. Having lost their war machine, the Socialists of the world have pivoted to our universities and media to conquer the West (with distressing efficacy), so is our NATO alliance still in America’s best interest? It is an alliance which states if one of the countries is attacked, we will react as if someone had attacked America directly. The clarity of the Soviet threat which would have rolled over Europe was crystal clear. Allowed to progress, America would have stood alone in the world. The formation of NATO, and American leadership was wise.
However, we have pushed the NATO boundary to the Russian border, and, in fact, discussions about Ukraine joining NATO may have been the catalyst for the disastrous invasion by Russia. We have effectively pushed the boundary of America to the other side of the world, which is torn by ancient conflicts, and promised to embroil ourselves with the trip wire of Article 5 should any NATO ally be attacked. Most Americans envision Germany or Italy under this scenario, true allies who share our values. Remember however that Turkey is a NATO ally, and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared Israel, another U.S. ally, a “terrorist state.” Should Turkey and Israel come to blows, what does the U.S. do? Other examples abound. The hair trigger of Article 5 expands U.S. obligations from the arctic to the Mediterranean. It is neither irresponsible nor irrational to promote debate on this issue.
In World War I, 16.5 million people died, including 117,000 Americans. Almost every protagonist was dragged into the conflict based upon alliances. In his farewell address, the father of our country and first president, George Washington, stated. “it is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world; so far, I mean, as we are now at liberty to do it.” It is a more complicated world today, and things move much faster than back then, but the cautionary note is well taken. We have learned through deep pain the penalty of allowing tyrants to grow strong and conquer surrounding nations, the genocide, and the resulting threat to our own shores.
When we formed the NATO alliance it was with European democracies against a monolithic Communist threat, which could engulf all of us. Russia still has the world’s largest deployed nuclear capability, and Putin is clearly a despot, so it would seem maintaining our NATO alliance is prudent. Notably, though, most NATO allies don’t meet their obligations to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense spending, as required in the 2014 Investment Pledge.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who served Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, along with Secretaries of Defense Leon Panetta (Bill Clinton) and Chuck Hagel (Obama), have all warned NATO allies that if they don’t meet their obligations, beleaguered America taxpayers will balk at continuing to shoulder disproportionately their defense. Multiple successive American presidents from both parties had failed to prod the allies to meet their obligations. Trump was very aggressive with the NATO allies, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, gave credit to him for increased spending by the Europeans.
Recently at a campaign rally Trump said he would “encourage them [Russia] to do whatever the hell they want” to nations that don’t spend enough on defense. Bombastic, but perhaps effective to push our allies to pay their share. We’re fiscally fatigued defending the world, and candidly, with $34 trillion in debt and climbing, we’re broke. Russian aggression has energized defense spending as war rages in Europe. Now is the time for thoughtful debate about what is in our best interest.
Don Schmitz is an independent columnist for Atascadero News / Paso Robles Press, he alongside Lance Simmens write a bi-weekly column on national topics from the perspective of their political leanings. You can forward any comments you have to editor@13starsmedia.com.