A routine political summit has become “a moment of trepidation and peril” as world leaders focus on the United States and a former president they fear might reclaim the White House, according to a new political analysis.
The Washington Post’s foreign affairs columnist David Ignatius wrote Thursday about the upcoming NATO summit, where President Joe Biden will carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. “A Donald Trump victory, many Europeans fear, could separate the United States from its European allies,” Ignatius writes. “What NATO touts as the world’s most successful military alliance would be adrift in stormy seas.”
Concerns have mounted after Biden’s poor debate performance raised doubts about his ability to defeat Trump, a convicted felon, in November. One official told the Post columnist, “The summit has gone from an orchestrated spectacle to one of the most anxious gatherings in modern times.”
Ignatius highlights the conflict in Ukraine and increasing hostilities between the U.S. and Russia as key points of concern. “It’s a fact that Russia and the United States have been moving up the escalator ladder in Ukraine in recent months,” he writes. “Biden crossed two previous ‘red lines’ when he approved the shipment of ATACMS long-range missiles this spring and then authorized the use of such U.S. weapons inside Russian territory.”
Another concern is the unpredictable stance of North Korea, with Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announcing a “breakthrough” pledge for mutual defense between the two nations. Trump’s well-known opposition to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) further exacerbates these anxieties. Foreign policy experts have warned that his presidency could trigger a “collapse” within the alliance. “What Donald Trump can do is just really hollow out what NATO does,” Finley Grimble, a British foreign policy expert, told Business Insider. “He doesn’t need to leave NATO to ruin it. He can ruin it from within.”
As the NATO summit approaches, the stakes are high. World leaders are concerned about maintaining the cohesion and strength of the alliance amid increasing global tensions and the looming possibility of Trump’s return to power. The summit, once expected to be a coordinated display of unity, now faces the challenge of addressing these deep-seated fears and uncertainties.