U.S. President Trump now targeting
NATO. With only a few of the 28-member countries meeting their financial
contributions, Trump’s latest volley of threats is now aimed at the alliance. While
he is unhappy with those countries that are not meeting their full financial obligations,
as were some past U.S. administrations, unlike the others Trump has stated he
is prepared to reduce the presence of the U.S. military around the world. Even though
the U.S. is contributing 22% of the NATO financial target, a sore point with
Trump, he fails to acknowledge that the U.S. has a lot to lose by reducing
their military presence. In addition to weakening their military response capability
it could also impact the large U.S. economy connected to military requirements.
As it could likely embolden Russia and China to ramp-up their own military
capabilities, Trump stands to get outplayed just as may be now happening with
his approach to North Korea.
Although Trump’s wacky and undisciplined
approach to deal-making may be obnoxious to everyone, except perhaps to his
voting base, a positive long-term outcome probably remains with the next
administration or with the U.S. Congress after the November mid-term elections.
In the meantime, it is likely a strategy of patience and damage control.
No comments:
Post a Comment