NATO heads of state and government will meet at their upcoming summit on June 24-25 in The Hague, at a time when they face complex external challenges to their security and hold seemingly irreconcilable views on how to respond to and deter critical threats. Due to a lack of consensus on central issues and the fear that U.S. President Donald Trump could blow up a normal-length meeting, the summit agenda and published declaration are being kept extremely short. Setting a new target for allied defense spending will be the primary discussion item. If proceedings conclude without public disputes between allied leaders, and countries adopt the new defense spending goals, the summit in The Hague may present an opportunity for the alliance to demonstrate a credible commitment to collective security in an era of shifting balances of power and geopolitical uncertainty. Nevertheless, Trump’s ambivalence toward NATO and America’s allies will loom over the aftermath of even an uneventful summit.
What to expect at the NATO summit in The Hague (James Goldgeier, Sophie Roehse – Brookings)
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