By: Azhar Azam
*This is one of my opinion pieces (unedited) that first appeared at "China Global Television Network (CGTN)":
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-02-14/NATO-is-in-its-death-throes-O4w6bPGqo8/index.html
Over the time, the popularity of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is sinking in their publics. The coalition’s public favorability that was 71%, 73%, 64% and 56% in 2009 within France, Germany, Italy and Spain has gradually dropped to 49%, 57%, 60% and 49% respectively in 2019, a recent study by Washington-based Pew Research Center found.
Support for 29-membered North American and European alliance from the people of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungry and Slovakia also plunged sharply while only 21% and 37% of the Turkish and Greeks endorsed the partnership. Overall, positive views about NATO fell from 64% in 2018 to 52% in 2019.
The survey findings spelled out further cracks in arguably the world’s oldest and successful alliance and could bequeath a significant blow to the NATO defense ministers’ ongoing meeting in Brussels. It would also serve as a setback to the efforts of Trump administration that has been wrestling with its European cronies to increase their defense spending and contribute more troops in the Middle East.
It echoed French Prime Minister Emanuel Macron last year’s onslaught at NATO when he downplayed the transatlantic alliance describing it “brain dead” following the US President Donald Trump snappy decision of troops pullout from Syria and paved the way for Turkey to move its military onto the Syrian border and establish a buffer zone.
The losing trust of some of the top European economies on the reliability of NATO is not surprising. The alliance was threatening to shake as they became wary of the bigheaded US attitude after Trump redirected his tariff guns toward the regional nations to succumb them to his taxing demands and called them “delinquent” while America was spending too much on maintaining missile defense systems across Europe and positioning 65,000 troops.
Washington too discerns that NATO is in jeopardy and could breakup at some latter time. In a press briefing on Tuesday, the US envoy to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison admitted the rifts in the alliance and pleaded the European government to make their people realize the importance of NATO and coupled declining public support with lack of awareness.
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper arrived in Brussels with a laundry list of American demands most notably surge of the NATO troops in Middle East, to begin with at least with Iraq so that Washington could step back from a territory which was once a centerpiece of its foreign policy and focus on implementation of National Defense Strategy (NDS).
Esper made a similar pitch to NATO nations about deterring “Iranian bad behavior” and reiterated his prior request of deploying air defense assets in the Middle East. Although on Wednesday, NATO conditionally agreed to expand its training mission in Iraq but without pledging any troop deployment.
The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg remarks that it “fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq” was a silver-tongued warning to the United States that the alliance would not any intervene in the country without consultation with the Iraqi government.
NATO is so careful about its involvement in the Middle East that after American killing of the Iranian General Qassem Soliemani last month, it suspended its non-combat “train and advise” mission in Iraq over fears of regional instability and military casualties, which was widely anticipated in the form of Iranian retaliation.
The underwhelming response gave a clear indication about NATO’s diffidence not to indulge itself into the eclectic and multifaceted regional game as well as underscored that it did not countersign Trump’s divisive Middle East strategy or his maximum pressure campaign vis-à-vis Tehran.
Nearly all of NATO states have sidestepped to participate in US’ International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) that bills to counter threats from Iran and ensure freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce through the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. As of now, only three NATO countries – Albania, the UK and the US – have joined the American multilateral effort which testifies that NATO had rebuffed the provocative move outright.
Even though the Baghdad government had declared the military defeat of Islamic State (IS) at the end of 2017, the US still maintains more than 5,000 troops in Iraq to prevent the group’s resurgence. As last year’s missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities pushed the US to lift its troop level to 17,000 – contrary to Trump administration’s desires, American forces are continuing to be entwined in the Middle East.
In the tensed regional background, it would no doubt be a tough gig for the NATO governments to convince their people to deploy troops and assets in a region from where Washington has overtly committed to extract. As such a move would amount to serving the interests of a foreign nation; it will invite a strong criticism and cogent reaction from opposition and public in the European countries.
All the appraisals steer to a precise: NATO is in its death throes!
*This is one of my opinion pieces (unedited) that first appeared at "China Global Television Network (CGTN)":
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-02-14/NATO-is-in-its-death-throes-O4w6bPGqo8/index.html
Over the time, the popularity of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is sinking in their publics. The coalition’s public favorability that was 71%, 73%, 64% and 56% in 2009 within France, Germany, Italy and Spain has gradually dropped to 49%, 57%, 60% and 49% respectively in 2019, a recent study by Washington-based Pew Research Center found.
Support for 29-membered North American and European alliance from the people of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungry and Slovakia also plunged sharply while only 21% and 37% of the Turkish and Greeks endorsed the partnership. Overall, positive views about NATO fell from 64% in 2018 to 52% in 2019.
The survey findings spelled out further cracks in arguably the world’s oldest and successful alliance and could bequeath a significant blow to the NATO defense ministers’ ongoing meeting in Brussels. It would also serve as a setback to the efforts of Trump administration that has been wrestling with its European cronies to increase their defense spending and contribute more troops in the Middle East.
It echoed French Prime Minister Emanuel Macron last year’s onslaught at NATO when he downplayed the transatlantic alliance describing it “brain dead” following the US President Donald Trump snappy decision of troops pullout from Syria and paved the way for Turkey to move its military onto the Syrian border and establish a buffer zone.
The losing trust of some of the top European economies on the reliability of NATO is not surprising. The alliance was threatening to shake as they became wary of the bigheaded US attitude after Trump redirected his tariff guns toward the regional nations to succumb them to his taxing demands and called them “delinquent” while America was spending too much on maintaining missile defense systems across Europe and positioning 65,000 troops.
Washington too discerns that NATO is in jeopardy and could breakup at some latter time. In a press briefing on Tuesday, the US envoy to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison admitted the rifts in the alliance and pleaded the European government to make their people realize the importance of NATO and coupled declining public support with lack of awareness.
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper arrived in Brussels with a laundry list of American demands most notably surge of the NATO troops in Middle East, to begin with at least with Iraq so that Washington could step back from a territory which was once a centerpiece of its foreign policy and focus on implementation of National Defense Strategy (NDS).
Esper made a similar pitch to NATO nations about deterring “Iranian bad behavior” and reiterated his prior request of deploying air defense assets in the Middle East. Although on Wednesday, NATO conditionally agreed to expand its training mission in Iraq but without pledging any troop deployment.
The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg remarks that it “fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq” was a silver-tongued warning to the United States that the alliance would not any intervene in the country without consultation with the Iraqi government.
NATO is so careful about its involvement in the Middle East that after American killing of the Iranian General Qassem Soliemani last month, it suspended its non-combat “train and advise” mission in Iraq over fears of regional instability and military casualties, which was widely anticipated in the form of Iranian retaliation.
The underwhelming response gave a clear indication about NATO’s diffidence not to indulge itself into the eclectic and multifaceted regional game as well as underscored that it did not countersign Trump’s divisive Middle East strategy or his maximum pressure campaign vis-à-vis Tehran.
Nearly all of NATO states have sidestepped to participate in US’ International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) that bills to counter threats from Iran and ensure freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce through the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. As of now, only three NATO countries – Albania, the UK and the US – have joined the American multilateral effort which testifies that NATO had rebuffed the provocative move outright.
Even though the Baghdad government had declared the military defeat of Islamic State (IS) at the end of 2017, the US still maintains more than 5,000 troops in Iraq to prevent the group’s resurgence. As last year’s missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities pushed the US to lift its troop level to 17,000 – contrary to Trump administration’s desires, American forces are continuing to be entwined in the Middle East.
In the tensed regional background, it would no doubt be a tough gig for the NATO governments to convince their people to deploy troops and assets in a region from where Washington has overtly committed to extract. As such a move would amount to serving the interests of a foreign nation; it will invite a strong criticism and cogent reaction from opposition and public in the European countries.
All the appraisals steer to a precise: NATO is in its death throes!