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Donald Trump is not yet the Republican nominee for president. But his recent comments encouraging Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” with a NATO member that is not paying enough for its defense was enough to raise the hackles of everyone from European leaders to President Joe Biden.
After all, while NATO certainly needs the United States’ military and political might, the U.S. also has several important reasons to support NATO, writes Klaus W. Larres, a political scientist and expert on US-European relations.
“Trump does not view Putin’s Russia as an existential threat to the U.S.-led global order. And thus he does not seem to realize that the U.S. and its European allies need protection from Putin’s Russia, the kind of protection offered by NATO,” Larres writes.
Larres explains how NATO works and its overall effectiveness at helping maintain peace and security across Europe.
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A paratrooper with a NATO flag performs during an air show in Radom, Poland, in August 2023.
Jakub Porzycki/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Klaus W. Larres, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Donald Trump has threatened to not defend some NATO countries if Russia attacks them. But the US also benefits from the power that NATO gives it, as well as the stability it helped create in Europe.
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House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), right, leaves the U.S. Capitol after the House voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on February 13, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Claire Leavitt, Smith College
With its impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the House exercised its oversight power. How can you tell if it was a legitimate use of that power?
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Displaced Gazan children wait in line to receive food.
Belal Khaled/Anadolu via Getty Images
Yara M. Asi, University of Central Florida
Arable land has been destroyed, as have food production sites. But even before the current operation in Gaza, Palestinians there suffered high rates of food insecurity.
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Sally Howell, University of Michigan-Dearborn; Amny Shuraydi, University of Michigan-Dearborn
The city often becomes a magnet for anti-Arab sentiment during election years and global conflicts; however, the more interesting story is what happens in the city when the spotlight is turned off.
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Jessica Trisko Darden, Virginia Commonwealth University
The Israel-Hamas conflict is putting a spotlight on all of the different people affected by the war, including Israel soldiers from Ethiopian, Filipino and Bedouin backgrounds.
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W. Joseph Campbell, American University School of Communication
Imprecision in election polling has long been recognized. But advance polls are still useful in recognizing trends in voter preferences, and candidates’ weak points.
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Christopher Devine, University of Dayton
Media coverage of vice presidential candidates tends to focus on who can help win the election rather than who is qualified to help govern once in office.
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Derek T. Muller, University of Notre Dame
Partisan differences at the Supreme Court seemed to be set aside as conservative and liberal justices alike asserted concerns about giving states too much power over national elections.
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Noam Lupu, Vanderbilt University; Elizabeth J. Zechmeister, Vanderbilt University; Luke Plutowski, Vanderbilt University
A survey of people across 24 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean found widespread concern over the economy and crime.
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Ayesha Jalal, Tufts University
The PTI, the party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, won the most seats of any one party – but fell short of reaching the threshold for a majority government.
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Ronald E. Hall, Michigan State University
Conservative politicians have launched attacks against the use of the word “woke.” If they knew the history of the word, they might stop wasting their time.
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