Стр. 7 - V

Author : D. Danilov
Professor, Moscow State Institute (University) of International Relations, Head, Department of European
Security, Institute of Europe, Russian Academy of Sciences, Candidate of Science (Economics)
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Donald
Trump called NATO an obsolete organization and
demanded that the European allies should contribute
bigger "fair shares" to European security. This in-
cludes, among other things, total fulfillment of their
obligation to steadily raise their share of military ex-
penditures up to 2% of their GDPs. This caused
consternation among the European leaders and the
fears that America's role and guarantees would be
eroded, transatlantic unity weakened and the role of NATO undermined. Trump's unconditional
acceptance of Brexit as the Brits' wise move fanned doubts in the new American administration's
wholehearted devotion to the strategic alliance with Europe/EC and its ability to remain NATO's
responsible leader.
On the other hand, Brexit deprived the EU and Europe of the leader that ensured European
interests in the relations with the United States, in the transatlantic alliance and within the NATO-
EU cooperation. Trump's declared readiness to revive cooperation with Russia despite the
Ukrainian crisis questioned the earlier agreements and decisions to contain Russia.
DUE TO THE PERSISTENT EFFORTS of the United States, the burden-sharing issue never
left the NATO agenda. At all times, the Americans, first, wanted their transatlantic partners to
demonstrate more responsibility and make greater contributions to the collective, and most im-
portantly, European defenses and security. Second, in view of the Americans' much greater re-
sponsibilities, they wanted to keep their European partners on their toes.
NATO relies on its formula "Russia's military aggression in Ukraine" to arrange its new, post-
Afghan transatlantic balance and consolidate the alliance in the face of the "Russian challenge."
In the course of time, the "challenge" has lost a lot of its effect on both sides of the Atlantic
and can no longer serve the strategic platform of the Atlantic Alliance. As the common agenda
is losing a lot of its significance, the issue of European "non-complementarity" has been in-
evitably raised again and again.
For a new American card game with Europe, the American president selected a hand of three
trump cards: burden-sharing, American guarantees and the Russian joker
It seems that the European NATO allies of Germany will follow suit which means that Trump
will have to revise his set of European political instruments. On the other hand, not all European
allies are on Germany's side: as distinct from Old Europe, some of its opponents have already
responded to the American support of their request to contain Russia by increasing their con-
tributions to defenses.
http://interaffairs.ru
NATO: Trump's Burden