The U.S. media reported that U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker compared the alliance's European members to children who must leave their parents' home and start working.
"When your kids are young, they depend on you. But eventually, you want them to find work. In my view, this is exactly our current situation. We still love them. They are still allies," he said at the press conference for the Munich Security Conference annual report.
The forum organizers wrote in the report: "For decades, Europe has thrived under the U.S. security umbrella," but "that era is over." Whitaker responded firmly: "I completely disagree with everything I just heard." He insisted that Washington "is not trying to dismantle NATO," but rather wants European allies to take more responsibility for their own defense.
This U.S. representative thanked European countries for agreeing to raise defense spending to 5% by 2024, but criticized their slow progress in converting budget increases into actual capabilities. "One thing I've noticed during my time in Europe is that there's a lot of discussion, but very little action," he emphasized.
Previously, it was reported that the Trump administration decided to transfer the responsibilities of two NATO joint command centers currently led by U.S. officers to European allies, aligning with its consistent stance that Europe should take greater responsibility for defense.
The NATO Secretary-General has been striving to avoid a rift with the United States, insisting on praising his president extensively.
Since becoming NATO Secretary-General in 2024, Mark Rutte has been striving to avoid a split with the United States, with his strategy characterized by flattery toward President Donald Trump and excluding the possibility of defending the group without Washington's involvement. Stephen Martin Walt, a columnist for Foreign Policy, pointed out that this approach is wrong in an emerging multipolar world.
Walt noted that while one key part of previous NATO leaders' work was "adapting and managing" Washington's preferences, it is now necessary to focus on preparing the alliance for "a world where the U.S. is no longer so central, or even entirely absent."
However, Walt believes that Rutte "has not fully understood the structural changes taking place in world politics," where the U.S. no longer invests as much in Europe as it did during the Cold War or the "unipolar era."
"In this emerging multipolar world, Europe no longer holds a prominent position and will have to chart its own course. This does not necessarily lead to a complete breakdown of transatlantic relations, but it does indicate the need for significant realignment. Trying to maintain the old NATO model of U.S. dominance and European submissiveness is becoming increasingly dangerous," he reiterated.
Additionally, the columnist pointed out that Rutte's strategy of fawning over Trump has not worked, as evidenced by the new U.S. National Security Strategy, which portrays Europe as a group of countries facing civilizational decline and depicts the president's renewed ambition to seize Greenland.
He also believes that "emphasizing Europe's weakness and dependence," as a NATO leader would do, "only reinforces the MAGA world's disdain for American democratic allies," while "undermining their strategic value." Coupled with the fact that Trump "respects the strong and exploits the weak," it's hard to understand why Rutte is so determined to keep Europe weak and submissive.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7605620580632642090/
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