May 31, 2017
It's Long Past Time for Our NATO Allies to Meet Their Defense-Spending Commitments
Chancellor Angela Merkel, campaigning at a Munich beer garden this Memorial Day weekend, certainly delighted American citizens as they paused to remember their sacred war dead, including the 236,000 men who died in Europe’s 20th-century wars. “The times in which we can fully count on others are somewhat over, as I have experienced in the past few days,” Merkel said. “We Europeans must really take our destiny into our own hands.” Although Merkel meekly attempted to walk her initial statement back in the face of American complaints, she clearly intended it as a forceful response to the tongue-lashing the American president, Donald J. Trump, gave alliance members regarding their low levels of defense spending during their meeting at NATO’s new headquarters in Brussels last week. Such a statement by the German chancellor would normally be viewed with concern by members of the American foreign-policy and national-security establishments, who view the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a cornerstone of the post-war global order. But coming from Merkel, it was the height of arrogance.
Read more at National Review.
More from CNAS
-
Exploiting Russian Weakness: Moldova and Georgia at a Crossroads
Podcast
Later this month, both Moldova and Georgia will hold crucial elections with the potential to profoundly shape their futures. As Russia attempts to reassert dominance along its...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Nicholas Lokker
-
Exploiting Russian Weakness
Reports
Introduction Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has created ripple effects that extend well beyond Ukraine’s borders. Reverberations from the war have been particularly p...
By Nicholas Lokker & Andrea Kendall-Taylor
-
What Can We Expect from a Harris-Walz Foreign Policy?
Podcast
As the 2024 presidential elections approach, there is increasing speculation about the potential implications for U.S foreign policy. Today on Brussels Sprouts, we will have t...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
Andrea Kendall-Taylor and the Axis of Upheaval
Video
On the Russian Roulette podcast from CSIS, Andrea Kendall-Taylor discusses the rise of cooperation between Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, in what she has dubbed 'the ax...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Max Bergmann & Maria Snegovaya
