March 06, 2017
The U.S. relationship with Europe hinges on diplomacy
President Donald Trump announced his intention to increase defense spending by $54 billion in next year’s federal budget, funded largely by sharp cuts to various other U.S. agencies. One of the agencies most severely impacted by this decision is the State Department.
Today, State’s yearly budget is approximately $50 billion, (only 1 percent of the entire federal budget). Trump has proposed cutting that budget by about 37 percent. The mere suggestion that State should be cut by such a large margin indicates a troubling disregard for the important role this agency plays in U.S. national security, especially in regards to the transatlantic relationship.
It is easy to frame the U.S.-Europe relationship strictly in defense terms, as NATO has been the bedrock of transatlantic relations for decades. Criticisms abound over Europe and NATO allies’ unwillingness to shoulder a fair share of their security burden, which is not an unfair point to make. Europe has a long way to go in terms of defense spending, and NATO allies must ensure they take the necessary steps to reach their defense spending goal of 2 percent of GDP.
Read the full article at The Hill.
More from CNAS
-
Russian Influence on the Upcoming EU Elections
While the world’s attention has been focused on Russia’s military operation in Ukraine over the past two years, Moscow has continued its attempts to use other, nonmilitary too...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, David Salvo & Brady Hills
-
The Role of AI in Russia’s Confrontation with the West
Executive Summary Russian thinking about artificial intelligence (AI) development is consistent with that of other major powers that are seeking to respond to an evolving comb...
By Samuel Bendett
-
Taking the Temperature of China’s Relationship with the United States and Europe
On Sunday, May 5th, Chinese President Xi Jinping will begin his first trip to Europe in five years. On this trip, Xi will make a high-profile two-day visit to France, where he...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Bonnie Glaser & Noah Barkin
-
Turkey’s Democracy Is Down but Not Out
Turkey has a long way to go before it can be considered a liberal democratic country, but this election signals that there are pockets of resilience....
By Kate Johnston & Gibbs McKinley