The Patriot Files Forums  

Go Back   The Patriot Files Forums > International > NATO

Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 01-09-2020, 05:26 AM
Boats's Avatar
Boats Boats is online now
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sauk Village, IL
Posts: 21,784
Arrow After Years of NATO-Bashing, Trump Asks Allies for Help with Iran

After Years of NATO-Bashing, Trump Asks Allies for Help with Iran
By: Klaus W. Larres - Defense One - 01-09-20
Re: https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/202...liance/162329/

But Britain, Germany, and France believe that everyone's interests are best served by the nuclear deal Trump hates.

U.S. President Donald Trump took a tough line in his Jan. 8 address to the nation in response to the Iranian airstrikes on two U.S. bases in Iraq. Trump announced that he would impose more sanctions on Iran. He said he believed that Iran would not resort to further aggressive action for the time being. He blamed his predecessor President Barack Obama for having concluded the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and for having dealt too gently with the country.

Trump also extolled U.S. military power, which he claimed had been much improved during his presidency. He said he would not hesitate to make use of this awesome technology, if necessary. “Our missiles are big and powerful and accurate…and lethal,” he said. Trump also announced that the U.S. did not wish to use these powerful weapons if Iran started to behave in a more reasonable way in the region.

But Trump’s address wasn’t entirely directed at audiences in the United States and Iran. He was also speaking to America’s European allies.

As an international relations scholar and practitioner of diplomacy, I don’t think many of them were pleased to hear Trump’s announcement that he would ask NATO – the 29-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization – to “get more involved in the Middle East.”

In particular, Trump encouraged NATO members the U.K., France and Germany – and also China and Russia – to change their policy and finally give up on the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated by the Obama administration, but abandoned by Trump.

Reactions in Berlin and London have been muted, though so far none of the NATO allies has dared to openly criticize the president’s speech. Perhaps that is because Trump’s touchiness about any criticism is well-known.

Trump’s suggestion that the NATO countries get more involved than they already are in the Middle East flies in the face of his longtime disparagement of the alliance.

German troops have been in Iraq since late 2015 to train Iraqi security forces in the fight against the Islamic State group. These troops are not meant to fight in the region.

After the killing of top Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the Germans withdrew to Kuwait some of their 120 troops stationed in Iraq. The Germans also announced that they may shift their remaining forces to Jordan or other safer areas.

Germany believes that saving the nuclear deal is still the only realistic way to engage with Iran and prevent Iran from restarting its nuclear weapons program.

Trump’s speech was also most likely viewed skeptically in London.

The British have 1,400 troops in Iraq and Syria for both training purposes and for fighting the Islamic State. They are uneasy about the increased danger to their military personnel since Trump’s airstrike on Soleimani, which was not coordinated with London or NATO headquarters.

London also believes that the 2015 nuclear deal ought to be given another chance. Re-engagement with Iran rather than pursuing a war path is also the conviction in the U.K. In fact, this continues to be the shared view of diplomats from the U.K., Germany, France, China, and Russia.

Despite his calls for U.S. allies to join ranks in the Middle East, President Trump remains the odd one out.

About the writer: Klaus W. Larres, Ph.D., is the Richard M. Krasno Distinguished Professor of History and International Affairs at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC. He has recently served as a Counselor and Senior Policy Adviser at the German Embassy in Beijing, China.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Personal note: Goes around comes around. You treated NATO badly and you can see the results in their current status. A politician Trump is not - he's more a dictator then a partner to the world. He got whats coming to him. It's bad enough he doesn't listen to Congress but also doesn't listen to our NATO allies.

Boats
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 06:22 AM.


Powered by vBulletin, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.