Peter King: The United States needs to be a dependable ally | Herald Community Newspapers
By Peter King
Whether it’s the war in Iran, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s expansionism or the continuing threat of Islamist terrorism, the United States and the world are faced with crises from multiple directions. This should be a time when nations with common values and interests forge a united front, no matter our policy differences or personality clashes.
The most significant example of this unity occurred at the close of World War II, when the U.S., Canada and the countries of Western Europe put aside historic differences and rivalries to unite against the common threat of world communism emanating from the Soviet Union by forming NATO, which became the largest and most successful military and governmental alliance in human history. After centuries of conflict, including World Wars I and II, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans, NATO ultimately caused the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and prevented the invasion of one country by another on the continent of Europe for 75 years, until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
As the world’s lone superpower, the U.S. was the main force within NATO, providing troops on the ground in various countries, a nuclear umbrella for all of the organization’s members and, most important, our credibility and commitment. The member countries were of course also essential to NATO’s success, coordinating their military units under an American Supreme Command and pledging unity. No wonder it has been Russian President Vladimir Putin’s long-held dream to somehow bring about NATO’s dissolution.
NATO demonstrated its commitment to stand united when it responded so quickly and forcefully to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Though no other NATO country was attacked and there was no war on European soil, countries responded with troops, courage and ability. Great Britain, Denmark, Canada, Poland and Italy would suffer casualties at a per-capita rate which approached our own. Previously, in the successful Operation Desert Storm against Iraq in 1991, countries such as Britain and France sent troops to fight alongside American forces.
NATO did, however, develop lingering deficiencies. Its over-reliance on the United States led to a continuing failure by member countries to meet their financial commitments to the alliance. I recall being at a meeting in London with Britain’s defense minister as far back as 1997, where he acknowledged the fear of NATO’s becoming a “paper tiger.” It is to Present Trump’s credit that he effectively saved the alliance by pressuring its member nations to pay up.
Trump’s more recent actions, however — his threats to take Greenland from Denmark, engaging in a tariff war with Canada while referring to it as our 51st state, his exchange of insults with Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and his attack on Pope Leo— have only weakened NATO. Similarly, Trump’s withdrawal of troops from Poland and Germany, and cuts in aid to Ukraine, have raised doubts about American credibility and reliability. Also damaging to the alliance was the failure to coordinate strategy with NATO countries before beginning the war against Iran. (This was so contrary to the close cooperation I saw between American and British generals when I had visited Afghanistan.) This has resulted in Britain’s refusal to provide its minesweeping capability to Trump in the Strait of Hormuz, and Meloni’s denying us use of air bases in Italy.
These actions, on both sides, are shortsighted, and counterproductive to everyone. There is no doubt that the United States is the superpower and indispensable partner in the alliance. It is also true that our relationship with NATO, and our actions and level of support for Ukraine, South Korea, Taiwan and Israel, are watched carefully by our adversaries China, Iran, North Korea, Al Qaeda and ISIS, as well as by our allies and friendly nations such as Japan and the Philippines in the Pacific and Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East.
As strong as the U.S. is, maintaining alliances and international support is vital to our national security. Isolationist policies such as America First and Fortress America have failed us in the past, and we can’t afford to rely on, or even experiment with them again. We live in an ever more dangerous, threatening world. We cannot risk America First becoming America Alone.
Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Comments? pking@ liherald.com.