Tag Archives: NATO

National Security Journal: NATO Is Now Dead

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NATO, in its current form, is depicted as a “corpse,” its strategic effectiveness undermined by decades of European defense underfunding (“free-riding”) and US strategic overstretch.

-Most member states fail to meet spending commitments, rendering the alliance a hollow shell, a reality starkly exposed by the war in Ukraine where the US carries the primary burden.

-President Trump’s approach is seen not as the cause of NATO’s decline but as a catalyst for a necessary reckoning, forcing Europe to confront its defense responsibilities.

-A fundamental reset towards a European-led security framework, with US support rather than dominance, is essential for future relevance.

NATO Is Now Dead
President Trump’s approach is seen not as the cause of NATO’s decline but as a catalyst for a necessary reckoning, forcing Europe to confront its defense responsibilities.
NATO Is Now Dead

Irish Star: Donald Trump melts down in major tantrum as Ukraine war plan in tatters

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He went on to blame Ukraine, which Russia invaded over three years ago, sparking the war, for the situation.

“I’m starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin, who’s too busy celebrating the Victory of World War ll, which could not have been won (not even close!) without the United States of America. HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!”

President Trump vowed to end the war in Ukraine on his first day of his second term. He later clarified to TIME Magazine that he was speaking “figuratively,” though he emphasized his commitment to ending major global wars, from Russia-Ukraine to Israel-Hamas.

He’ll end the Ukraine war by giving Ukraine back to Russia.

He’ll end the Israel-Hamas war when the Palestinian is dead.

Right now Trump so busy sucking up to Qatar that the doesn’t know which end is up.

Donald Trump melts down in major tantrum as Ukraine war plan in tatters
U.S. President Donald Trump has called on Ukraine to join him at the negotiating table with Russia after setting a date later this week.

https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/donald-trump-melts-down-major-35207736

RBC Ukraine: Trump may skip NATO summit if Europe fails to meet his demands

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US President Donald Trump may skip the upcoming NATO summit, which will take place in The Hague this June. This will happen if European member states of the Alliance do not increase defense spending, Der Spiegel reports.

According to the outlet, the new US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, has been pressing allies at every NATO ambassadors’ meeting to raise their defense budgets to 5% of GDP.

Would the buffoon’s absence really be a negative?

Trump may skip NATO summit if Europe fails to meet his demands
US President Donald Trump may skip the upcoming NATO summit, which will take place in The Hague this June. This will happen if European member states of the Alliance do not increase defense spending, Der Spiegel reports. According to the outlet, the new US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, has been pressing allies at every NATO ambassadors’ mee…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-may-skip-nato-summit-if-europe-fails-to-meet-his-demands/ar-AA1E4Nf1

NBC News: Germany hits back at Rubio’s defense of far-right AfD party

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Germany rebuked Secretary of State Marco Rubio after he slammed the country’s intelligence agency for classifying the far-right political party Alternative for Germany a “proven-right wing extremist organization.”

“We have learnt from our history that right-wing extremism needs to be stopped,” Germany’s foreign office wrote on X, in direct reply to Rubio.

AfD, whose staunch supporters include Vice President JD Vance and billionaire Elon Musk, was already under surveillance for suspected extremism by Germany’s intelligence services, which on Friday classified the party as a “proven right-wing extremist organization.” 

Marco Rubio & J.D. Dunce & F’Elon Musk seem to thing that neo-Nazis are cool. Thankfully Germany has learned from its past mistakes and has no intention of repeating history.

Germany hits back at Rubio’s defense of far-right AfD party
Germany rebuked Secretary of State Marco Rubio after he slammed the country’s intelligence agency for classifying the far-right political party Alternative for Germany a “proven-right wing extremist organization.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/germany-hits-back-at-rubio-s-defense-of-far-right-afd-party/ar-AA1E6mLU

CNN World: Why Trump’s Crimea proposal would tear down a decades-old pillar of the global order

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US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine should recognize Russia’s control over Crimea, the southern Ukrainian peninsula that Moscow annexed more than a decade ago, is threatening to upend international law and order.

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Is this legal?

No. If the Trump administration was to somehow recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea, it would be breaching international law as well as multiple declarations and agreements made by the United States, including by the first Trump White House.

“In terms of international law, such a pronouncement would be null and void,” said Sergey Vasiliev, an international law expert and professor at the Open University in the Netherlands.

“That territorial acquisitions that result from the use of force shall not be recognized as legal is basically one of the bedrock principles of international law,” Vasiliev told CNN.

Recognizing Crimea as part of Russia would put the Trump administration in breach of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which the US made a commitment to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and borders, in exchange for Kyiv giving up its nuclear weapons.

In 2018, during the first Trump administration, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement reaffirming the US’ refusal to recognize the Kremlin’s claims of sovereignty over Crimea.

Why Trump’s Crimea proposal would tear down a decades-old pillar of the global order | CNN
President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine should recognize Russia’s control over Crimea, the southern Ukrainian peninsula Moscow siezed by force more than a decade ago, is threatening to upend international law and order.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/25/world/trump-ukraine-crimea-explainer-intl

New York Post: Marco Rubio’s bodyguard arrested in Brussels after ‘behaving erratically’ and brawling with cops at hotel bar

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A bodyguard in Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s security detail was arrested after “behaving erratically” at a hotel in Brussels and fighting with police officers in the Belgian capital, according to reports.

The experienced agent in the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) was cuffed last Monday after becoming irate when staff at the iconic Hotel Amigo refused to reopen the bar after hours, the Washington Examiner reported.

The bodyguard then became physically aggressive when staff, including the hotel night manager, tried to persuade him to return to his room, sources told the outlet.

Marco Rubio’s bodyguard arrested in Brussels after ‘behaving erratically’ and brawling with cops at hotel bar
The experienced agent in the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), was seized by police last Monday after becoming irate when staff at the iconic Hotel Amigo in Brussels refused to reopen the bar afte…

https://nypost.com/2025/04/08/world-news/marco-rubios-bodyguard-arrested-in-brussels-after-hotel-cop-brawl

The Trump administration upholds its image as a bunch of ill-disciplined, mishbehaving thugs. This bozo should request a lateral transfer to ICE — he’ll fit right in.

As America’s reputation slips deeper into the sewer …

Express: Greenland’s new prime minister explodes at Donald Trump – ‘We don’t belong to you’

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Jens-Frederik Nielsen has told Donald Trump “We don’t belong to anyone else”.

Greenland’s new prime minister has issued a strong message to Donald Trump following the US president’s claims over the island. In a defiant message, Jens-Frederik Nielsen said: “We must listen when others talk about us. But we must not be shaken. President Trump says the United States is ‘getting Greenland.’

“Let me make this clear: The U.S. is not getting that. We don’t belong to anyone else. We decide our own future. We must not act out of fear. We must respond with peace, dignity and unity.

Greenland’s new prime minister explodes at Trump – ‘We don’t belong to you’
Jens-Frederik Nielsen has told Donald Trump “We don’t belong to anyone else”.

Greenland’s new prime minister explodes at Trump – ‘We don’t belong to you’ | World | News | Express.co.uk

The Independent: Under Trump, 80 years of collective security have been dismantled in as many days

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The Atlantic Alliance used to believe it had liberal democratic values in common and a shared interest in collective security and free trade. That, thanks to the US president, is no longer true. Europe must adjust to this altered reality, or die.

It may be that the US’s tilt to the Kremlin, accompanied by the twin-track diplomatic and trade wars now being waged on friends and allies, will before long drive Europe to stand on its own two feet and be the independent force in world affairs that the founding fathers of the project of European unity dreamed about. At long last, Europe begins to assert itself. To borrow a famous phrase from a happier era of US-European relations, Europe, like president Barack Obama, is saying: “Yes we can.”

The “coalition of the willing” (or “coalition of action”, as French president Emmanuel Macron prefers to call it) is a concrete example of this emerging European consciousness. The project is to provide a safe and secure future for Ukraine, irrespective of what Russia or the US might desire. Russia is rightly distrusted, while there is still hope that the Americans can contribute in some way to keeping the peace in Ukraine – and in Europe more widely.

Under Trump, 80 years of collective security have been dismantled in as many days
Editorial: The Atlantic Alliance used to believe it had liberal democratic values in common and a shared interest in collective security and free trade. That, thanks to the US president, is no longer true. Europe must adjust to this altered reality, or die

Under Trump, 80 years of collective security have been dismantled in as many days | The Independent

The Mirror: US ‘won’t bother defending Europe from Russia’, leaked Pentagon memo says

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A confidential Pentagon document suggests the United States may not come to Europe’s aid in the event of a Russian attack. The leaked internal memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is said to prioritise deterring China’s ambitions over Taiwan and bolstering defense measures on U.S. soil.

According to The Washington Post, parts of the memo are strikingly similar to a publication by a conservative think tank involved with Project 2025, with sections mirroring it word for word.

The memo outlines Hegseth’s stance that America is unlikely to offer significant support to Europe against Russian aggression. It highlights an expectation for NATO allies to assume the primary role in defending their territory.

The United States, the guidance suggests, will provide nuclear deterrence against Russia but will only commit forces that are not essential for homeland security or missions related to China.

US ‘won’t bother defending Europe from Russia’, leaked Pentagon memo says
The leaked memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth instead focuses on deterring China’s seizure of Taiwan and shoring up homeland defense

US ‘won’t bother defending Europe from Russia’, leaked Pentagon memo says

Wall Street Journal: Hegseth Brought His Wife to Sensitive Meetings With Foreign Military Officials

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Defense secretary’s handling of sensitive information is under fire after he shared details about a strike on Houthi militants in a group chat on a widely used app

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is facing scrutiny over his handling of details of a military strike, brought his wife, a former Fox News producer, to two meetings with foreign military counterparts where sensitive information was discussed, according to multiple people who were present or had knowledge of the discussions.

One of the meetings, a high-level discussion at the Pentagon on March 6 between Hegseth and U.K. Secretary of Defense John Healey, took place at a sensitive moment for the trans-Atlantic alliance, one day after the U.S. said it had cut off military intelligence sharing with Ukraine. The group that met at the Pentagon, which included Adm. Tony Radakin, the head of the U.K.’s armed forces, discussed the U.S. rationale behind that decision, as well as future military collaboration between the two allies, according to people familiar with the meeting. 

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Jennifer Hegseth also attended a meeting last month at North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters in Brussels where allied defense officials discussed their support for Ukraine, according to two people who attended the meeting. Hegseth’s brother Philip Hegseth has also been traveling with him on official visits, the Pentagon said.

Too stupid to learn?

Exclusive | Hegseth Brought His Wife to Sensitive Meetings With Foreign Military Officials – WSJ