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The four reasons for Donald Trump's bloodshed at NATO

(B2) Donald Trump's intervention Thursday (July 12) at the NATO summit seems more due to a wound of self-esteem... like an error of judgment by certain leaders of the Alliance

The new building of the Atlantic Alliance has been targeted by the American president as too expensive (credit: NATO)

Everyone was expecting an exit from Trump at the NATO summit. Everyone feared her, including in the American ranks. It will have taken place, but beyond what could have been expected... quite simply by a slight error of assessment, voluntary or not (history will tell)

The American President said so Urbi et orbi before the summit and during the first day of it (Wednesday July 11): there is no question of leaving the summit without obtaining a clear commitment from its allies, in particular from Germany, to spend more. The tweets, preferred means of communication of the American leader, announced it (read: NATO Summit: Trump, his diatribes, his tweets (V3). The solid admonition to the Secretary General of the Alliance the very morning at the opening of the summit (a veritable rise in suspenders) confirmed this.

An error of confidence or a desire to go to clash

During the first working session, devoted to this issue of burden sharing, Donald Trump, however, seemed wiser, more evasive in his phraseology. A few words if not agreed at least widely expected and no threats or outrageous criticism. Everyone therefore thought they were safe from a new 'trumpitude'. Fatal error. The optimism that prevailed after dinner and until the early morning of lunch quickly evaporated. Because the Thursday sessions were tough (read: Trump shakes up the Alliance. A serious crack, but the break is avoided).

The four reasons for Trump's rage

1. What is written is written, what is said does not count

The leaders of the Alliance and of the member countries first pretended to ignore his warning by taking refuge in a dialectic of " what is important are not the words but what is written in the declaration and accepted by all, including the Americans have, in fact, made a certain error of judgment (*).

2. Lack of respect for the 'boss'

On the merits, they were not wrong to say that Donald Trump's remarks were a fad or a heresy. We can't really be lucid and accept a 4% objective even in the long term. In the Realpolitik of the Alliance where the United States has both the leadership and is the main 'shareholder' of the organization, this remains difficult to support. In any business, when the big boss has a whim, you can't pretend nothing has happened. (And Donald Trump sees himself first and foremost as a big boss and the real boss of the Alliance).

3. The implicit homage to Obama

The fact of constantly referring to the Wales summit of September 2014 was perceived as a real provocation by Donald Trump. It was, in fact, an implicit tribute to the action ... of his predecessor, Barack Obama (present in 2014). An idea that the current host of the White House wants to banish from his speech. Much of his policy being oriented to reverse the course of his predecessor's decisions.

4. A Deadly Spin

Similarly, the publication of the summit declaration, carefully prepared in advance, which therefore makes no mention, even indirect, of the American's proposals, and especially the spin led by the officials (French, German, Spanish, Belgian. ..) and therefore the words taken up by the media, only added salt to the wound.

Stoltenberg's 'RESCO' mission

The overhaul by the Secretary General of the Alliance, the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, during the final press conference, held after that of the American leader, paying tribute on numerous occasions to the action of Donald Trump and taking as his point of defense recovery, his arrival, was really operation 'RESCO' (the Search and Rescue of a combat pilot shot down behind the lines). It made it possible to straighten the bar... The whimsical Donald was over the moon, everything was becoming marvellous. But a little late, the damage was done.

A blow to morale

The unshakable confidence in transatlantic solidarity, in American reliability is today cracked. The Alliance has taken a morale hit. And no one seems ready to repeat the experience right away. As a Euro-Atlantic diplomat told B2, if we can avoid another summit like this, we will. It is understood that there is no question of organizing a summit with President Trump. No NATO summit before 2021 (if Trump is defeated) or 2025 (if re-elected).

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

(*) Except supposing — Machiavellianism being consubstantial with politics — that Donald Trump's exit suited certain leaders within the Alliance (follow my gaze...) who sometimes have opposing views. On the one hand, those who believe that the NATO machine should be more operational, less bureaucratic, and that certain countries should make a greater effort to make in terms of defence... On the other, the countries which share with Trump a certain philosophy of populism and the mention blow.

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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