May 24, 2017
NATO Prepares to Be Disappointed by the Cheshire Cat President
The hysteria that now surrounds the Donald Trump presidency has blown the NATO mini-summit out of the water. Allies who once were looking forward to Thursday’s summit for reassurance that the U.S. president supported a U.S. role in Europe will instead come just to see firsthand the spectacle that Trump has become. Whispers of obstruction of justice and impeachment have badly battered the credibility of the president and weakened him. Allies look to the United States for strong leadership. The summit will showcase instead a U.S. leadership in doubt.
At one time, the main outcome of the summit was set to be a family photo of 29 heads of state or government, including Trump, standing together with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. This photo would signify unity, strength, and the end of Trump’s doubts about NATO. Instead, the photo will become a curiosity, and all who view it will wonder if Trump will show up in the next family photo.
Read the full article in Foreign Policy.
More from CNAS
-
Defense / Indo-Pacific Security / Transatlantic Security / Middle East Security / Energy, Economics & Security
CNAS Insights | National Security Agenda in the New Congress: A 10-Item To-Do ListWhen Democratic majorities sweep into Congress in January, Washington will return to divided government. The prospect of stalemate will be real, with Democrats prone to opposi...
By Richard Fontaine
-
A Blue Wave in America: The Midterms and Foreign Policy
In a stunning midterm election, Democrats have won back control of the House and Senate. Even with some races still uncalled, Democrats have secured at least 54 Senate seats a...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
Transparent, Approved and Stoppable: A Standard for Government’s Use of AI
Specific legislation should be required to approve the use of AI systems, and it should set rules for vetting AI system capabilities, limiting their use, and ending their depl...
By Jim Townsend
-
Protests, Divisions, and the Mood in Europe
For much of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Europe has demonstrated remarkable unity and resolve. Despite economic pressures, political disagreements, and repeated predictions t...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend