NATO leaders meeting in Washington, what you need to know

2024-07-08 22:14:30, Kosova & Bota CNA

NATO leaders meeting in Washington, what you need to know

File photo, Reuters

NATO leaders will gather this week in Washington for a high-level meeting to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the military alliance, which has never before been so large and ambitious. The meeting also comes amid existential threats from internal and external factors to the alliance.

As if the war in Ukraine were not enough, the dangers posed by an ever more aggressive China and the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the commitment of several key NATO members to protect allies is being called into question.

There is also deep uncertainty about the chances that President Joe Biden has to win in November over his predecessor Donald Trump, known for his skepticism towards NATO, and to lead the country for the next four years. powerful alliance.

While Mr. Biden's political problems are causing concern at home and abroad, European countries are facing their own problems, with the growth of the extreme right, especially in France and Hungary, threatening what are considered pillars after the Second World War. , safety and durability.

Here's what you need to know about the three-day high-level meeting:

The eyes of public opinion on President Biden

Shaken by his poor showing in the June 27 presidential debate and struggling to maintain full support to continue the presidential race, Mr. Biden says the public should watch his performance during the summit. of NATO, to prove that he is still strong and energetic to lead.

Diplomats and analysts say they will watch it carefully, even though NATO leaders have no control over the US election and are unlikely to take a public stance on it.

"The outcome of the November election is extremely important for NATO, and almost all of the alliance's heads of state and government know that, even if they refuse to speak publicly about the election," said Jeff Rathke, president of the American-American Institute. German at Johns Hopkins University.

The prospect of Donald Trump returning to the White House has alarmed many leaders in Europe, who fear he could scale back American commitments to NATO or Ukraine, or withdraw the United States from those commitments altogether.

"Mr. Biden's NATO counterparts can do nothing to influence the outcome of the election, so they are in the uncomfortable position of observing a process that is vital to the alliance but over which they have no control." said Mr. Rathke.

Mr. Biden, who credits himself for strengthening NATO and standing up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said his confidence and skills will come to the fore.

But he will be under tremendous pressure to quell growing concerns that he is not up to the task, either as NATO's de facto leader or as commander-in-chief of the member nation's armed forces. important of the alliance.

"The fact that you can't predict what Mr. Trump might do and how quickly he might act once he's in office if he wins the election creates a lot of tension in people," Mr. Rathke said. " It would be a significant shock to NATO if he were to win," he added.

Attention to Biden, but not only to him...

Although the main focus will be on Joe Biden, the other 31 heads of member countries also have their own role in NATO's decision-making. The high-level meeting will mark the first appearance on the world stage of new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, just days after his landslide victory in the parliamentary elections. Although Mr Starmer has signaled that he will continue to offer strong support for both NATO and Ukraine, the victories for far-right parties as well as left-wing groups that oppose Western support for Israel's war in Gaza, can weaken the influence of London.

Another concern is the troubled situation in France, where President Emmanuel Macron's government is facing political uncertainty after a leftist coalition came together to defeat the rising far-right in parliamentary elections but failed to secure a majority in the National Assembly.

The far-right party, which is skeptical of NATO, significantly increased the number of seats in parliament.

So are Hungary and Turkey, the last two NATO members who resisted accepting the alliance's two newest members, Finland and Sweden. Hungary's Viktor Orban sparked concern over his visit to Russia last week for talks with President Putin, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to enjoy good relations with the Kremlin.

In many ways, the alliance has never looked stronger than it does now. Since Russia launched its aggression against Ukraine, two more countries have joined NATO, bringing the number of member countries to 32.

Likewise, the Baltic countries, Poland and the Czech Republic, which are located near the border with Russia, have increased their support for Ukraine and the Organization. But NATO is fragile. Its decisions must be taken by unanimous consensus, and political unrest in member countries creates obstacles. NATO leaders are expected to reaffirm their "open door" policy, that any country that meets the requirements is welcome to join. But Ukraine will not receive the invitation it is hoping for this week.

"In different perspectives, this meeting takes place in the best period, but also the worst at the same time. In the best period, because the alliance has a clear role and in the worst period, because of the war in Ukraine, the challenges faced by European countries to increase defense spending and the concern over the sustainability of the commitment of the States United States," said Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Defense spending has been one of Mr. Trump's biggest complaints about NATO, and he has repeatedly suggested that the United States will not defend countries that do not meet the agreed-upon target. The commitment is that these countries must spend at least two percent of their gross domestic product on defense.

NATO officials have strongly supported the significant increase of countries that fulfill this obligation, whose number has reached 23. Other countries are expected to express during the meeting in Washington that they are fulfilling this standard.

Continuation of support for Ukraine

Over the past few years many NATO countries have signed bilateral security agreements with Ukraine to provide Kiev with the long-term help it needs to defend itself from Russia and prevent further attacks in the future.

Russia has scored battlefield victories as Congress blocked US military aid to Ukraine for several months, causing supply delays.

But Ukraine's intention is to join NATO, in order to be under NATO's security 'umbrella', according to Article 5 (collective defence), which obliges all member countries to defend it in case of attack. As the conflict continues, membership is unlikely to happen. However, the allies are expected to present Ukraine with a new plan, a " bridge " to membership, which will define the next steps.

At the same time, NATO countries are expected to pledge more military and economic support. Billions of dollars in aid have been sent to Ukraine so far, and according to other officials more aid is expected to be sent.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday that the contribution of around $43 billion a year should be the basis for moving forward.

China as an issue at the NATO meeting

NATO allies are also focused on threats posed by China, including ongoing disinformation campaigns aimed at instilling suspicion in democratic systems. Likewise, NATO countries have repeatedly raised concerns that China's sale of some equipment and technology has enabled Moscow to rebuild its defense industrial base to continue the war against Ukraine.

For the third consecutive year, leaders or senior officials from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea will attend the NATO meeting to discuss how to respond to Chinese threats in the South China Sea and beyond. wide./ VOA