Turkey is testing NATO’s limits and exposing its weakness

Published April 12, 2026 6:00am ET



The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is increasingly strained from within. The alliance was built on a simple premise: that its members share core security interests and act collectively when those interests are threatened. Its effectiveness depends on sustained alignment — and Turkey is putting it to the test.

NATO was formed in 1949, when its members understood that security depended on acting together, not just in principle, but in how they defined threats and responded to them. Article 5 makes that clear: an attack on one would be treated as an attack on all.

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