NATO General-Secretary Jens Stoltenberg was in Washington Thursday and Friday to, among other things, remind the country that NATO is a good deal for the United States. He’s right, even though President Trump doesn’t always seem to see the value in the alliance.
As Stolenberg emphasized in a speech at the Heritage Foundation, NATO is important not only to Europe but also to the United States. The three points his remarks focused on included the benefits to the U.S. of a European stability ensured by NATO, the importance of the alliances among countries with shared values of democracy and liberty, and, finally, the importance of the military strength the alliance facilitates.
For Americans, these are clear arguments that back up a fundamental reality of the current world order: America cannot stand alone.
Although Trump has often touted his “America First” approach to diplomacy and trade, often at the expense of our allies, this approach increasingly leaves the U.S. isolated from both global trade networks and organizations.
The value of allies is especially clear, as the unipolar world order that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union has rapidly shifted. China has rapidly developed and spread its influence and might, while Russia has become increasingly aggressive, as evidenced by clear attempts to meddle in the U.S. elections and the poisoning of a former double agent in the United Kingdom.
This threat should also be reinforced as China and Russia engage in joint military exercises highlighting closer ties between the two nations. Although those exercises also give the United States and its allies, including NATO, a welcome look at how those countries might work together, the exercises are also a stark reminder of the growing threats facing the liberal alliance dominated by the United States.
“For nearly seven decades, the United States has been able to call upon its close allies and friends in NATO” Stoltenberg reminded his audience, adding that “we are far stronger together than we are apart.”
As the world order (that the U.S. not only benefits from but depends on) is increasingly under threat, that strength is not only important, but necessary. Neither America, nor her allies, can afford to go it alone — and we shouldn’t need to be reminded.
