Trump’s latest attack shows lack of understanding on Nato

FOLLOWING a dust-up with Britain, President Donald Trump has attacked another key ally – Germany.

At a news conference on Friday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump “reiterated” his “need for our Nato allies to pay their fair share for the cost of defence”. He followed up on Saturday with an impolitic double-barrelled tweet shot, writing that Germany owes America “vast sums of money” for Nato. He argued that the US should be paid more “for the powerful, and very expensive, defence it provides”.

Security experts quickly attacked the flaws in Trump’s logic. On Twitter, former US ambassador to Nato Ivo Daalder wrote that increased defence spending in Germany isn’t transferred to the US. He also pointed out that Nato decided to make the 2 percent requirement mandatory just two years ago.

The alliance gave all member states until 2024 to reach that goal, and Germany is on track.

“Trump’s comments misrepresent the way Nato functions,” Daalder said. Despite such critiques, this line of argument has been a near-constant refrain for Trump and his administration. Since the campaign, he’s argued that other countries aren’t contributing what they should for the defence alliance.

Since World War II, Germany has intentionally kept its military small. The country defines itself by its pacifism and its commitment to the idea of “never again”. Germany says it will increase its military spending by about €3 billion a year for the next eight years. That plan, though, needs to be approved by the German government and parliament. And Trump may be making that harder. – Washington Post