President Trump isn’t making any friends in Europe, but he could be strengthening alliances.
The president began a midsummer swing across the Atlantic by hurling barbs at Germany and making demands on France. American media were, naturally, appalled. There is, indeed, considerable risk in Trump’s belligerent rhetoric, because the U.S. benefits from a strong NATO and strong relations with European nations.
But recognizing the worth of institutions and alliances does not imply a need to let them avoid accountability. If Trump can strike the right balance, his tough talk to allies is likely to help. In normal parlance, describing someone as being “diplomatic” suggests that they are being polite and restrained. But diplomacy is about getting countries to do what we want them to do, and sometimes belligerent public shaming works. A quiet word behind the scenes has been used by successive American presidents and has been brusquely ignored by our European allies.
Trump, when he talks about international relations, sometimes goes too far. But when he grumbles about allies “taking advantage” of us, he is not wrong. It is true that in NATO and other international institutions America is generally the boss, and it would be folly to demolish or abandon these institutions and this order. But that does not mean they are not in dire need of improvement or that it is not time to try methods of persuasion tougher than those deployed in the past.
The United Nations is off the rails, giving credibility and authority to tyrants and gross abusers of human rights. NATO also has an accountability problem, as most of its members, our allies, fail to contribute nearly enough. They almost all fall short of the target of spending 2 percent of their economy on defense.
When Trump chastises European countries for this free riding, the chattering classes clutch their pearls and wonder how Trump can be so rude. But Trump is right to criticize Germany for its deal with Russia to build a second natural gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea. The deal enriches Russia and helps pay for its imperial designs, all while Americans protect Germany from, um, Russia.
The Nord Stream II pipeline is a key strategic ploy of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump touched on a secondary concern about the pipeline, stating that the pipeline could make Germany dependent on Russian gas. There’s a bigger problem, though.
Each Russian pipeline multiplies the pressure Putin can apply in his efforts to project power beyond the borders of his backward and crumbling country. A new direct pipeline to Germany circumvents pipelines that go through Poland and Belarus. The new pipeline allows Putin to put pressure on those near neighbors without disrupting trade with Germany. (Likewise, it allows him to pressure Germany individually if he chooses).
In short, by pursuing this pipeline deal with Russia, Germany is undermining the security of the West and empowering Russia. This isn’t some Trump conspiracy theory. The Obama administration was upset about the pipeline deal, too. The difference is that Trump isn’t being polite about our objections.
Trump, in other words, is applying pressure to our allies to hold them accountable, to make the alliances work. Sometimes that involves being a bit brusque.
