Skepticism runs deep at NATO as Pompeo meets with allies
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo headed into meetings at NATO on Wednesday amid questions about U.S. leadership in the military alliance and whether it will even continue to be a member.
Pompeo’s conversations with foreign ministers at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization aim to lay the groundwork for a higher-level meeting of presidents and prime ministers scheduled for next month in London.
Once pretty staid affairs, NATO gatherings nowadays are infused with melodrama and cliffhanging uncertainty about global challenges and the willingness of the United States to aid its allies. Diplomats were particularly unnerved by the U.S. decision last month to withdraw troops from northern Syria before a Turkish invasion, without consulting the Europeans in advance.
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Concern about the use of NATO is nothing new, but criticisms about the alliance that were once largely expressed behind the scenes are being aired more openly as the London summit approaches. Leaders are steeling themselves for another public thrashing from Trump, who suggested at last year’s summit that the United States may withdraw from the alliance if European governments don’t spend more on defense.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/skepticism-runs-deep-at-nato-as-pompeo-meets-with-allies/2019/11/20/4c92a3c2-0a2e-11ea-8397-a955cd542d00_story.html
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