“Smooth sailing” are not the words one would use to describe Macron’s time in office. His is a presidency characterized by riots and low rating. His recent comments about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) experiencing “brain death” have done him no favors, considering the backlash he received from the media, as well as the German and American governments. That being said, considering the borderline dystopian world we are living in, President Macron might be the only one calling a spade a spade.
NATO was founded on the notion of collective protection. Initially, it was formed to counter the Soviet influence; however, over time, it evolved into an organization whose purpose was to ensure the freedom and security of its members. An attack on one, it was agreed, would be considered to be an attack on all. Since Donald Trump took office, he has been explicit about his feelings towards NATO. He has publicly lamented that the United States pays “hundreds of billions” to protect Europe. Although there is some truth in the fact that the United States does contribute an extraordinary amount of money to NATO, one must take into account that the Unites States also has the highest military spending of any other country in the world. There is, however, no truth in Trump’s statements about the United States’ relation with the NATO being one sided. The benefits from being a member of the organization most definitely flow both ways. For instance, after the 9/11 attacks, NATO rushed to the defense of the United States. It led the UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force for over a decade and as of March 2019, had approximately 17,000 troops stationed in Afghanistan. NATO’s membership also affords a degree of soft power to the United States, allowing it to maintain its status as the current world hegemon. Therefore, it is clear that the relation between the United States and other members of the NATO is more reciprocal that Donald Trump gives it credit for.
Macron cited Trump’s eccentric nature and unpredictability as reasons for his comments regarding NATO and it is difficult to understand why he is under fire from every media outlet for his comments. Clearly, Trump is both eccentric and unpredictable. There has been no shortage of public ambiguity from Trump’s end with regard to whether to not the US will stand by its commitment to collective defense. While other US Presidents have also beseeched NATO allies to increase their contributions (and contributions have in fact been steadily increasing), they were all willing to negotiate in good faith—the same cannot be said for Trump. Macron’s latest outburst can perhaps also be linked to Trump’s withdrawal of troops from Syria, which left the Kurds to fend for themselves against a Turkish invasion. Considering how miserably Trump has failed to protect those who have risked their lives to support U.S. troops, surely it is not unreasonable of Macron to expect that Trump may abandon his other allies in their hour of need.
The fact remains that the United States has been the glue that holds NATO together and Trump has shown less commitment to the alliance than any other U.S. President. Even with ongoing impeachment hearings, the possibility of a Trump re-election is very real, which would likely continue the strained relations between the U.S. and its allies. Under these circumstances, instead of criticizing Macron for his comments, we should try to understand where he is coming from. The French President finds himself surrounded by populist rhetoric—whether it is Trump’s America or Boris Johnson’s United Kingdom. France can no longer rely on its allies and that is exactly the point President Emmanuel Macron was trying to make.