Opinion: Donald Trump vs. NATO: He has violently attacked the 75-year-old pact

“Keep the Russians out [of Europe], the Americans in, and the Germans down."

That was the unofficial mission statement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, at its inception in 1949, three-quarters of a century ago.

By any standard, NATO has been a huge success. There has been no major European war involving Germany since World War II (Germany has been “kept down”) and Russia’s sphere of influence in Eastern Europe has largely disintegrated (Russia has been “kept out”). And, of course, America remains a linch-pin of the postwar alliance.

Yet that success has not prevented Donald Trump from violently attacking the pact, treating it as more of a protection racket than a true alliance.

Regardless of Donald Trump’s opinion, it is generally regarded as a good thing to be a NATO country. It’s like having an 800-pound gorilla on your side. NATO now comprises no fewer than 31 European countries, the United States and Canada. Under Section 5 of the NATO treaty, its members are obliged to consider an attack on one member state as an attack on all. The last time Section 5 was invoked was when the United States was attacked on 9/11. NATO does not have a separate army. Instead, treaty partners integrate their armies when called upon to take the field.

The alliance is directed mainly at Russia, which followed up its victory in World War II by seizing control of Eastern Europe despite its pledges to allow the countries it occupied to exercise self-determination.

Donald Trump has been disparaging NATO on the grounds that some members — Germany, Canada, Belgium and Spain among them — are not meeting their goal of spending 2% of their GDP on the military, an informal target established in 2014. President Barack Obama was merely the first president to chide European countries for falling short; it has been a theme of American diplomacy since then.

In a notorious rant on Feb. 10, Trump said that if a NATO country fell short of its 2% pledge he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to that country. Aside from proposing a ghastly treaty violation, this totally misses the point of the alliance: common democratic values and a shared antipathy to the geopolitical goals of Russia.

Despite his fixation on the 2%, it is also clear that his dislike of NATO is about more than money. It is grounded in his sympathy for Russian goals. His compliments to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin are too many to quote but include, most notoriously, praise for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which he dubbed a “genius” and “very savvy” move by a “smart” leader.

Trump’s clear hostility to NATO — he has termed the alliance “obsolete” — led Congress to pass a bill in 2023 specifying that the United States may not leave NATO without a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate. This was designed to protect the treaty from precipitous action by a president, presumably a second-term Trump. But a hostile president could easily hamstring American participation in the alliance.

Trump’s disparagement comes as NATO is facing a test with Ukraine, albeit an indirect one. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has become, in part, a proxy war between Russia and NATO. Yet congressional Republicans are blocking a United States aid package for Ukraine, thereby advancing Russia’s goals. Paradoxically, Republicans have long prided themselves as being the champions of the military, including NATO, while they have disparaged Democrats as soft on defense. Yet it is the Democrats who are supporting aid for the Ukrainian freedom fighters and defending NATO from Trump’s attacks.

Allies are among our greatest assets, particularly when they stand on the front line facing one of our greatest opponents. By contrast, Trump regards allies as a burden, not a benefit. He would leave the United States isolated on the world stage just as Russia is again on the march, seeking to rebuild its empire in Eastern Europe.

It is time to give a wakeup call to NATO’s critics in Congress, notably those in the right-wing Freedom Caucus, and insist on NATO-friendly and Ukraine-friendly policies. It’s a dangerous world out there. It helps to have friends — particularly friends with armored brigades.

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Charles Edwards reported on Congress and federal agencies for 35 years.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Opinion: Trump's dislike of NATO is about his sympathy toward Russia