President Donald J. Trump, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sign peace and economic agreements at the White House pic.twitter.com/yUvKZf0g0r
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 8, 2025
Following negotiations led by President Donald Trump, Armenia and Azerbaijan have signed a peace agreement to settle a dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, currently in Azerbaijan but populated by ethnic Armenians. It includes no guaranteed right of return, ignores Armenians imprisoned by Azerbaijan, and, according to one Armenian leader, undermines Armenia's sovereignty and "rewards war crimes." But it creates within the region a major transit corridor to be named the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP)." And it is yet another virtually meaningless deal the USA has negotiated in pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize for Donald Trump.
And that is a major foreign policy goal of this Administration. It is not, however, Donald Trump's major foreign policy goal- dissolution of the Trans-Atlantic Alliance. Alas, that has hit a significant sang. In March, President Trump
cast doubt on his willingness to defend Washington’s Nato
allies, saying that he would not do so if they are not paying enough for their
own defense.
“It’s common sense, right,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them. No, I’m not going to defend them.”
Trump said he had been of this view for years and shared it with NATO allies during his 2017-2021 presidential term. Those efforts prompted more spending from other members of the 75-year-old transatlantic alliance, he said, but that “even now, it’s not enough.”
He added: “They should be paying more.”
Of course, the President did not say "if they do pay, I will defend them," only that if they don't, he won't. Trying to appease a thug often backfires, as Chamberlain sadly discovered. And Spain isn't playing as we learn
NATO ally Spain has decided against buying the US-designed F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, opting instead to invest in European-made aircraft for its air force.
Spain's decision comes after several NATO members publicly
questioned their commitment to the jet, made by Lockheed Martin, amid concerns
about President Donald Trump's attitude toward the alliance. Antagonism from
the White House has rattled several American allies, though there were no firm
decisions made concerning the F-35.....
Richard Aboulafia, an aviation expert and the managing director of US consulting firm AeroDynamic Advisory, told Business Insider that Spain's decision fits with "the broader European objective of sovereignty and self-sufficiency."
The Eurofighter Typhoon under consideration is a fourth-generation, multi-role combat aircraft made by a consortium of European companies: Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo. And the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is an initiative from France, Germany, and Spain to create a sixth-generation jet, with an operational rollout planned for 2040.
Aboulafia noted that Spain has a personal interest, including in job creation, with the FCAS.
Spain has wavered on the F-35 in recent years, sometimes leaning more toward other fighter types or extending the life of older aircraft. Its recent decision speaks to its new focus on European-made military technologies and comes at a time of anxiety among allies, including Madrid, over their relationship with the US....
Interest has been growing in building out Europe's defense industrial base and buying more homegrown gear. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said in March, "We must buy more" European weapons.
Part of this drive is Trump, whose rhetoric has created new tensions between the US and its longtime allies. He excluded European allies from peace talks over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, criticized the NATO alliance, and has threatened to annex a European territory. He also said last year that he would "encourage" Russia to attack any NATO member that doesn't spend enough on defense. And the tariffs have been another source of tension.
When 'Trump's efforts prompted more spending from other members" of NATO, the President was hailed by fellow Republicans for his toughness and dealmaking. But it appears that Don the Con has overplayed his hand because
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez rejected Trump's call for NATO members to spend 5% of GDP on defense by 2035- more than double the current 2% target, calling it "unreasonable." He warned against European reliance on U.S. security: "Only Europeans will know how to protect Europe."
Trump responded by calling Spain's position "very unfair" and hinted at trade penalties, escalating diplomatic tensions.
"Very unfair?" Oh, boo-hoo. Grow a pair, Donald. It's getting serious now that
There's a growing wariness among US allies and partners when it comes to weapons technology.
Canada's defense minister said that his country was reviewing its contract for F-35s and looking at "other alternatives," the chairman of Denmark's parliamentary defense committee said he regrets choosing the F-35 for his country, and Portugal's defense minister said his country was unsure about plans to move to the F-35, pointing to uncertainties in US reliability as an ally.
And politicians across all of Switzerland's political parties also said this week that the country should withdraw or reconsider the planned purchase of 36 F-35As due to the tariffs Trump put on the country.
In Europe alone, there are at least Spain, Denmark, Portugal, and Switzerland which have begun to figure out that President Trump is out to break not only the bond between the USA and its European allies. He's out to break Europe, specifically the part which is not Russia or aligned with it. Ironically, Trump may be the one who has spurred members of NATO to understand fully their reliance upon each other. This may be only the beginning of their recognition but if it is, Europe will be better off, and so will the Free World.
No comments:
Post a Comment