With US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on eight European allies, is NATO under threat? StoneX senior analyst Matt Simpson was quoted by reuters as saying, “With Trump throwing tariffs into the mix, it is clear that his threat to Greenland is real, and that we could be one step closer to the end of NATO and political imbalances within Europe.”
Trump wants to buy or annex Greenland, and has imposed 10 percent tariffs against nations which oppose the US’ control over Greenland. Trump has not ruled out using force to take it, raising alarm in Europe at the prospect of direct confrontation between NATO states.
The US President has also refused to rule out the option of leaving NATO over Greenland. When asked whether he would “pull out of NATO if it doesn’t help you acquire Greenland,” Trump responded by saying, “We’re going to see.”
Earlier in 2024, Trump had said NATO had been “taking advantage” of the US, and said the US would only remain a member if the others “pay their bills.”
But what is NATO? Why was it formed? Who are the members? Let’s delve into this strategic alliance
What is NATO’s full form?
NATO is short for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
What is NATO?
NATO is an alliance of 32 countries from North America and Europe. It has expanded since its formation.
When was NATO formed?
NATO was created on April 4, 1949 by 12 countries from Europe and North America.
Why was NATO formed?
The United States, Canada, and several Western European nations formed NATO to provide security against the Soviet Union. The member states come together through NATO to discuss political and security issues and make collective decisions by consensus.
What is the role of NATO
According to the US government, NATO’s fundamental goal is to safeguard the allies’ freedom and security by political and military means. At the core of the alliance is one key aspect: an attack against one ally is an attack against all — a promise of collective defense.
Besides, Article 4 of the Washington Treaty ensures consultations among allies on security matters of common interest, which expanded from the Soviet threat to the mission in Afghanistan, peacekeeping in Kosovo, terrorism, new threats to security such as cyber attack and piracy that affect the alliance and its global network of partners.
Besides its role in the territorial defense of Allied nations, NATO leads the UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and has ongoing missions in the Balkans and the Mediterranean.
It also conducts extensive training exercises and offers security support to partners around the globe, including the European Union in particular but also the United Nations and the African Union.
Who are the members of NATO?
As of March 2024, NATO has 32 member countries. They are:Albania
Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Türkiye, United Kingdom, United States.
Who pays for NATO?
NATO explained in a video that every NATO country contributes to the costs of running the alliance based on a calculation linked to Gross National Income.
Every member also contributes a percentage of its budget and provides forces and capabilities to NATO.
Allies share the costs of NATO’s operations and missions, headquarters, command structure and jointly owned equipment.
In certain cases, groups of Allies can also build new initiatives, like its multinational fund to support research and investments in cutting-edge technology.
Are Trump tariffs a threat to NATO?
According to Reuters, Trump’s latest 10% tariff on some European allies may lead to a “direct confrontation between NATO states.”
Trump earlier vowed to implement a wave of increasing tariffs on European allies until the United States is allowed to buy Greenland.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that starting February 1, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland will be charged 10 percent tariff on all goods they export to the US. All these countries, including the US, are members of NATO.
Meanwhile, Danish and other European officials have claimed that Greenland is already covered by NATO’s collective security pact.
