By Gil Barndollar
President Donald Trump has become an unlikely defender of NATO. Last week, he excoriated French President Emmanuel Macron for telling The Economist that the Atlantic alliance was in a state of “brain death.” It was an uncomfortable look for Trump, who usually finds himself in the role of NATO antagonist — attacking NATO allies for free-riding and not taking their own security seriously.
But Macron is right. NATO’s fundamental problem is that the military alliance no longer reflects a common strategic reality. Created to counter a threat that no longer exists, the alliance’s widening fissures are becoming impossible to ignore.
When NATO was created in 1949, Europe lay shattered by World War II. America was demobilizing and disarming while the Soviet Union, despite suffering devastating losses in its war against Germany, menaced Europe with an enormous army and a sizable fifth column. NATO was a necessary, united and limited military alliance of just 12 members.
This piece was originally published by USA Today on December 10, 2019. Read more HERE.