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.

  • Commentary
    • Sharper
    • April 17, 2024
    Sharper: NATO 75

    From July 9–11, NATO leaders from across the Atlantic will gather in Washington, DC for the 2024 NATO Summit, which marks the 75th anniversary of the alliance. This meeting wi...

    By Anna Pederson, Anna Avanesyan & Charles Horn

  • Podcast
    • April 12, 2024
    Interpreting the Recent Turkish Elections with Asli Aydintaşbaş and Steven Cook

    Just under a year ago, Turkish President Erdogan won another five years in power in the Turkish presidential election. Last week, however, local election results in Turkey del...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Aslı Aydıntaşbaş & Steven A. Cook

  • Podcast
    • April 5, 2024
    Macron’s Change in Tune and the War in Ukraine

    Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there has been a notable evolution in France’s approach toward Moscow. In the initial months following the invasion, Fr...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Tara Varma & Bruno Tertrais

  • Video
    • April 3, 2024
    NATO discusses plans for Europe without the U.S. or Putin

    "The concern, is can we strengthen ourselves so that should the Russians win in Ukraine and that is something that might happen, Ukraine is fighting hard, but should that happ...

    By Jim Townsend

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia