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
-
A Rearmed Germany's Place in Europe
Podcast
Today we are taking a closer look at Germany as it returns to military power. As the United States pulls back from Europe and threats of Russian aggression are heightened, Ger...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
Russia Provokes NATO ‘Grey Zone’ with ‘Clever Bullying’ Tactic, but It Will Escalate
Video
“Eventually something's going to happen in the escalation. I mean, maybe it's a mass casualty event or something that really gets us out of that grey zone into a real provocat...
By Jim Townsend
-
Domestic Russia: Security Services, the Economy, and Elections
Podcast
Today we are turning to domestic Russian politics, with Russia’s State Duma elections coming up September 18th through the 20th. The elections are taking place in a more uncer...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
Sep 11, ’26 Washington Roundtable
Congressional Testimony
Jim Townsend, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins the Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast to discuss the latest on the war in Ukraine,...
By Jim Townsend
