The Future of American Involvement in NATO

    While we were in Germany, it was remarkable to witness firsthand how dependent the European Union is, on the United States. Both militarily and economically, the United States is the primary partner for most of the European Union, and this reality had not set in for me until speaking with some of the university students in Munich.

    One of the professors at a university in Munich stressed the concern that many Germans have, over the results of American elections. The election of Donald Trump terrified political academics in Germany: fearing an American departure from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Former President Trump stressed the importance of equitable resource donation within NATO, and felt that if the European Member States did not contribute adequately to the overall military budget, then the United States would be forced to withdraw from the treaty. This would be a disaster of course, and could prompt further Russian aggression in Eastern Europe.

    The academics that I spoke to about this were highly concerned, especially considering the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine. While Biden is now president, and has firmly supported the continued involvement of the United States in European affairs, the ever-present risk in future elections cannot be ignored. It is essential for the United States to maintain the security balance in Europe, acting as a counterweight to Russian imperialism.


                                               Interior of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München at night

  

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