Former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen claimed that conflicts in Ukraine, Taiwan, and the Middle East stem from the United States’s hesitancy to lead on the global stage during the Obama administration.
Rasmussen said the Obama administration “retreat[ed]” from its role in the Middle East, which former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden continued.
Former President Barack Obama’s administration also failed to act strongly enough regarding the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Rasmussen said, which gave Russian President Vladimir Putin the room to attack Ukraine.
“Time and again we see that … if the U.S. is not exercising global leadership, then the bad guys would take advantage of the situation,” Rasmussen told Politico in an article published on Wednesday. “When America leads, then the bad guys retreat.”
The U.S. has served as a global police force ever since it emerged as a world power more than a century ago. Rasmussen said the U.S.’s policing was necessary to maintain order in Europe and the Middle East.
“For good and bad, we need a global policeman, and the U.S. is the only power on Earth that can exercise that job,” the former NATO leader said.
Other European leaders have also emphasized the important role the U.S. plays in European safety. However, some have expressed concern over the possibility of Trump returning to the White House and damaging ties with important allies.
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“The U.S. is a guarantor of European security. That’s a fact,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said. “I’m not even starting to think about the scenarios that would change the posture of the United States.”
Landsbergis added that the primary defense of Europe needs to come from its own continent. He said a stronger defense in Europe was necessary, alongside the continued partnership with the U.S.
