Reckless Trump on NATO

Star Tribune of Minneapolis: Asked by the New York Times on Wednesday whether the U.S. would immediately provide military aid to a Baltic nation if Russia were to invade, Donald Trump answered: “Have they fulfilled their obligation to us? If they fulfill their obligation to us, the answer is yes.” Asked then “and if not?” Trump responded: “Well, I’m not saying if or not. I’m saying, right now there are many countries that have not fulfilled their obligation to us.”

NATO, the world’s essential military alliance, is predicated on each of its 28 members upholding treaty-bound obligations to treat an attack on one as an attack on all.

Responding to Trump, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg underscored the importance of the alliance: “Solidarity among allies is a key value for NATO.”

Trump’s questioning of NATO and other essential U.S. alliances isn’t conservative. It’s recklessly wrong and should be rejected by Republicans and Democrats alike in a bid to reassure alienated allies that the U.S. stands by its treaty obligations.