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The world today is not the world that existed when NATO was formed. Put together as a bulwark against feared encroaching communism, NATO served as a way for the Allies to feel like they were taking appropriate action to prevent Communism’s expansion into the rest of Europe. It was formed when the USSR was an entity that spanned half of Europe, and Germany was a divided nation.
NATO cannot and should not survive these stresses if its intended victims, Russia/China/Iran, fight even remotely competently. And they are. They all understand that this is a race against a political and economic clock in the West that is quickly counting down to zero. All Russia has to do is keep grinding out territorial gains in Ukraine, Iran to not over-react to Israel’s provocations, and China to ignore the yapping over tariffs and Taiwan.
And all the Americans who are tired of this have to do is keep the money spigot to NATO and Ukraine closed off as much as is politically possible. The cost/benefit analysis for the US, especially in an election year, just doesn’t add up. And there is zero real leverage Europe can apply to the US other than through their bought and paid-for politicos in D.C. for more money.
The heart simply isn’t willing anymore. Why? For all the reasons I’ve been talking about for six years here, the memories of WWII are fading. The generations of Americans imprinted with the post-WWII Pax Americana lie are dying off (Boomers) or no longer care, if they ever did (Gen X).
The Millennials and ‘Zoomers’ aren’t invested in this mythology. They know their heads are on the chopping block. They can see that none of this is in their best interests.
NATO: It’s Time to Cull the Snake in the US’s Garden via Time is Running Out on NATO
Just like most laws, there comes a time when things should be reevaluated to see if they are fulfilling their purpose and still make sense. The fact that some of the European countries believed that they didn’t need to contribute and that the US was believed to be able to protect them no matter what shows that there are issues that need to be addressed and that there was always the possibility that the United States could decide that the money they are spending overseas to help warring peoples that never seem to stop warring would be better spent at home.
