In addition to what the OP replied, the nato is first and foremost a construct that has allowed the United States to achieve global hegemony in the past. It is a device to further American interests and provide them with a bloc of reliable ideological allies. This petty bitching about a (in the grand picture) very minuscule amount of money is essentially sawing the tree they sit on.
The US global hegemony is under threat, America needs more than just ideological allies who talk, America need allies that they can actually rely on. Europe is nothing without security and its completely fair for the US to ask Europe to meet their very small minimum security obligations. The US isn’t sawing the branch they are sitting on they are trying to reinforce it. I admit threatening your allies is a risky strat and probably wouldnt be my approach but trump is trump and I believe the end goal will be a stronger nato.
The foundation of nato is the unequivocal promise that members will militarily protect each other from outside aggressors.
I am actually not in disagreement with you that Europe needs to up its commitments and improve their own forces, but the simple idea on the table that this promise is not unconditional is extremely dangerous. It undermines the trust that must exist, what good is an ally if they will betray you when it suits them?
Any other measure america could have taken to encourage more financial commitment from the other nations would have been more appropriate than this. Backroom threats of economic sanctions or treaty dismissals for example. But certainly not opening up the possibility that america is not a reliable ally.
In addition to what the OP replied, the nato is first and foremost a construct that has allowed the United States to achieve global hegemony in the past. It is a device to further American interests and provide them with a bloc of reliable ideological allies. This petty bitching about a (in the grand picture) very minuscule amount of money is essentially sawing the tree they sit on.
The US global hegemony is under threat, America needs more than just ideological allies who talk, America need allies that they can actually rely on. Europe is nothing without security and its completely fair for the US to ask Europe to meet their very small minimum security obligations. The US isn’t sawing the branch they are sitting on they are trying to reinforce it. I admit threatening your allies is a risky strat and probably wouldnt be my approach but trump is trump and I believe the end goal will be a stronger nato.
The foundation of nato is the unequivocal promise that members will militarily protect each other from outside aggressors.
I am actually not in disagreement with you that Europe needs to up its commitments and improve their own forces, but the simple idea on the table that this promise is not unconditional is extremely dangerous. It undermines the trust that must exist, what good is an ally if they will betray you when it suits them?
Any other measure america could have taken to encourage more financial commitment from the other nations would have been more appropriate than this. Backroom threats of economic sanctions or treaty dismissals for example. But certainly not opening up the possibility that america is not a reliable ally.
This isn’t strengthening the alliance.