NATO: Not Accountable To Obligations

During the recent political summit in Europe, CNN reported the following:

“NATO diplomats were dumbfounded by President Donald Trump’s barrage of acidic rhetoric at the annual summit in Brussels.

Trump came out brawling in his first public comments … calling members of the alliance ‘delinquent’ in their defense spending and insisting they increase it ‘immediately.’”

“It’s like the world has gone crazy this morning,” stated one senior European diplomat. ‘Trump’s performance was beyond belief.’”

The aloof European establishment makes such asinine comments because it simply doesn’t know how to react otherwise – and for good reason.

Their intransigence has never been called out before, and they have never had anyone of gravitas hold them accountable.

The days of the status quo, where America does virtually all the heavy lifting despite getting nothing in return – are ending, and the go-along, get-along club of Euro-leaders are finally seeing their world turned upside down.

Too many leaders live in a fantasy world, with zero selfawareness but boatloads of undeserved self-righteousness. The fact that many are downright offended that someone – an American, no less – has the “gall” to ask them to meet their obligation to NATO is absolutely astounding. It’s time for them to shed their complacency and wake up to the reality of the new world – and that goes for American apologists, too.

Bottom line: NATO needs to stand for something other than “Not Accountable To Obligations.”

NATO rules stipulate that member nations dedicate at least 2 percent of gross domestic product every year to defense spending, yet only five of 29 met that requirement last year, with the average being 1.5 percent.

The United States, on the other hand, spent almost 4 percent (and is responsible for 70 percent of NATO defense spending), carrying the water for all the slacker countries, as it always does. And to what end? Turns out that our “allies” skimp on defense so they can gleefully fund all their socialist pet projects, knowing fullwell that the American security guarantee remains staunchly in place.

Truth is, we have only ourselves to blame for perpetuating this humiliation, given that both political parties have allowed this debacle for decades. But now, President Trump is demanding change.

The Euro response? Another slap in the face: “Sure, sure. You bet. We’ll ante up – by 2025.”

Let’s be honest. Most other presidents would have agreed, albeit begrudgingly, to the latest proposed NATO terms.

But Mr. Trump refused, and instead called them out again, rejecting their ridiculous timeline and demanding they meet their obligation now. This year. Today.

And for the president’s insistence that the 83 percent of NATO nations that are delinquent simply meet the threshold that they devised, he was roundly criticized as being “beyond belief,” and making the world “crazy.”

These allies, who are supposed to be our friends, would be better suited joining an interstellar defense organization, because they are truly living on another planet.

America faces zero threat of invasion and aggression, and we don’t need Europe the way we did during the Cold War, so it’s time to reconsider our carte blanche policy. For once, the Europeans need to step up to the plate and start defending themselves.

America obviously needs to protect its interests abroad, act as a respectful world leader, and be a beacon of light to billions.

But in doing so, it should heed the vision of George Washington, whose prescience about avoiding foreign entanglements is as applicable today as when he served as our first leader.

Unfortunately, NATO has become a foreign entanglement and lecherous welfare state that “takes” a lot more than it “gives” to the United States.

If they don’t pick up the slack, America should pull back, lock, stock and barrel.

And at that point, Europe may soon find out what “Russian interference” really means.