How To Lose An Alliance In 10 Months

By John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College

Early in Donald Trump’s first term in office, a Republican Congressman speaking to my class tried to explain Trump. “He’ll come up to you, punch you in the mouth. Then he’ll later offer to get you a beer,” implying that everything would be okay, because of the drink offer.

Evidently this approach, cheered by his supporters, isn’t winning over our allies. It’s led to the greatest crisis the Western World has faced since 9/11, or even the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Trump announced his comeback tour as president by launching a series of heavy tariffs on friend and foe alike, especially friends in our NATO Alliance. If anything, he’s sought deals and a reduction of sanctions with Russia and China, who aren’t our friends. Cabinet members have been found to issue insulting statements about our allies.

Then Trump dispatched forces to capture Russian ally Niclas Maduro, the leader of Venezuela. Even though he’s a dictator and supports odious policies, he is in charge of our Rio Pact ally Venezuela, a member of the Organization of American States. So far, there’s no indication that swapping Maduro for his VP has really changed Venezuelan behavior on much. A lack of commitment to those who support democracy in Venezuela, and legitimately elected candidates, was chilling for freedom in this country.

Trump also targeted NATO ally Denmark with an aggressive campaign of veiled threats and pressure, at times not ruling out the use of force to procure the country, with his top adviser Stephen Miller saying “Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO.” The question is clear from prior treaty and international law.

Trump followed this by launching an aerial assault on Iran at the end of the February, without consulting allies who might have pointed out a number of realities that the administration is now becoming painfully aware of, such as starting a conflict without a plan to secure the vulnerable Straits of Hormuz. When Britain offered the use of its Navy, Trump angrily fired back that it was too little, too late. He had won the war and didn’t need his NATO ally.

Now our president is loudly demanding that NATO allies rush forces to take the Straits of Hormuz, and allow bases in Europe to be used for the conduct of war. European allies, both left-leaning and right-leaning governments, not wanting to be part of what’s emerging in the Middle East, have opted to remain on the sidelines, and not allow the bases for the conduct of this war with Iran.

Now War Secretary Pete Hegseth said “You don’t have much of an ALLIANCE if you have countries that are not willing to STAND with you when you need them!” Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed this. “If NATO is just about us defending Europe if they’re attacked, but them denying us basing rights when we need them, then that’s not a very good arrangement.”

Even Elon Musk’s X noted that NATO is a defensive alliance, not an offensive mechanism of the President of the United States. NATO countries came to the U.S. aid during 9/11, and took casualties supporting the U.S. in Afghanistan (actions Trump belittled).

It’s worth noting that the average European doesn’t hate Americans. I won an item from Ebay, but the tariffs drastically jacked up the price. The European seller apologized for what had happened, and agreed to cancel the bid at no penalty to me, a nice move. They get that not all Americans, or even many Americans, share Trump’s antipathy for NATO members who are frustrating his ambitions for more territory that isn’t ours.

Every presidential and legislative candidate should affirm that we stand with NATO, just as they did for us, and affirm that they will we will rebuild our ties with NATO allies that are badly being frayed in a move that only benefits Iranian ally Vladimir Putin.

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. His views are his own. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu or on “X” at @johntures2. His first book “Branded” a thriller novel, has been published by the Huntsville Independent Press (https://www.huntsvilleindependent.com/product-page/branded).