Half a century ago, one of the big topics of debate in Washington and on this editorial page was: Why don't European nations contribute more to NATO? Only back then, Republicans were the ones arguing forcefully for U.S. sacrifice on NATO's behalf, while Democratic Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield was NATO's fiercest critic. Today, Republican President Donald Trump is the one taking up Mansfield's mantle.
Mansfield in 1971 proposed that U.S. troop levels in Europe--300,000 at the time--be cut in half to force European nations to pony up a fairer share for their own defense. Mansfield was correct back then, and Trump is correct on that point today. Our issue is with Trump's insulting and undiplomatic delivery.
Mansfield's anti-NATO campaign came only three years after the August 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia to put down the Prague Spring breakaway reform effort. Fast forward to today, and the same debate rages only four years after Russia invaded Ukraine.
On Thursday, Trump asserted that his browbeating tactics resulted in NATO members' commitment to boost their defense spending. That's simply not true, French President Emmanuel Macron said. They just reiterated the commitment they made in 2014. Trump's insults got him nowhere.
The reason why defense spending levels are relevant is no different today than they were in 1968. The less countries spend on defense, they more they can afford to pay government employees, reduce taxes or build crucial infrastructure--all of which serve to strengthen the domestic economy. Germany's low post-World War II defense spending has helped fuel its massive domestic growth. Today, Germany is Europe's economic powerhouse.
Trump is right to suggest that such growth came at America's expense. But that doesn't justify his insulting approach to America's strongest allies. His caustic demeanor only helps advance Russia's goal of fomenting division and weakening the most important mutual-defense alliance the world has ever known. Amazing how one leader can be so right yet, at the same time, so wrong.
Editorial on 07/14/2018