Disunity is plaguing NATO summit
LONDON/BRUSSELS: What was conceived as a celebration for one of the world’s most important military alliances risks becoming a show of disunity.
Meeting in London between December 3-4, leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have two other presidents to worry about: France’s Emmanuel Macron, who recently has openly questioned the collective defence clause at NATO’s heart, and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has troubled alliance members with his decisions to send troops into Syria and buy a Russian anti-missile system.
In fact, so much has changed since then-Prime Minister Theresa May offered to host the twoday commemoration of NATO’s 70th anniversary that her successor, Boris Johnson could be forrather given for wishing she hadn’t.
A senior US official said on Friday that US President Donald Trump would prioritise enlisting NATO to push back against China’s growing influence.
The official said Trump would also press allies to increase defence spending and to exclude Chinese companies from the construction of 5G mobile networks, something many have been unwilling to do.
With three significant member states bringing conflicting agendas to the table at a gathering that takes place in the closing stretch of a charged UK election campaign, the event risks fanning concern about NATO’s future, than celebrating what alliance officials and leaders routinely call the most successful military grouping in history.
Officials from the US and Britain were at pains last week to highlight NATO’s successes, including a renewed sense of purpose since Russia’s 2014 aggression in Ukraine. Defence spending is on the rise and NATO is expanding into counter-terrorism, cyber security, and now even space.
And the alliance does continue to attract new members. North Macedonia, set to join next year, will bring the leaders at the table this week to 30, up from 15 when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.
Such accomplishments are being drowned out by public dispute over what NATO should focus on. In an attempt to contain the debate, Germany proposed an expert group to report on its future political shape.