Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to pull the U.S. out of NATO, but as experts point out, even without this, the White House could significantly weaken the Alliance by undermining trust in its commitments.
According to David Blegden, a lecturer in international security and strategy at the University of Exeter, a simple hint that the U.S. might fail to fulfill its obligations under NATO’s Article 5 would be enough to seriously damage the trust in the Alliance.
Article 5, the cornerstone of NATO, obliges member countries to assist each other in the event of an armed attack. If there is doubt about the U.S. willingness to fulfill this commitment, NATO’s adversaries might take advantage of the situation, leading to a weakening of the Alliance.
Furthermore, Trump could implement a strategy of reducing the U.S. military presence in Europe while maintaining a nuclear umbrella and naval presence. The U.S. might also withdraw from certain joint exercises, reducing the integration of forces in crisis-response plans.
There is growing concern among the “Five Eyes” countries (Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand) that such moves could jeopardize intelligence-sharing and further weaken Western alliances in the event of a conflict.
