WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is deepening the divide between the United States and European NATO member countries by calling on his allies to help him wage the war he declared against Iran.
Many NATO member countries have been questioning the future of the alliance after a member – the United States – threatened to take control of Greenland, a territory of an ally.
Canada, on the other hand, is facing a different issue: alliances can change, but geography remains unchanged.
“A certain level of geographical factors remains constant regardless of the government in power in the United States or Canada,” said Aurel Braun, a professor of international relations and political science at the University of Toronto.
Twelve countries, including Canada, signed the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949 in Washington, D.C., with the aim of ensuring collective security against the Soviet Union. NATO now has 32 member countries and is the oldest defense pact in history.
Article 5 of the treaty, which states that an attack on one member will trigger a response from all others, has only been invoked once, by the United States, after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
President Trump has repeatedly expressed his lack of conviction that NATO members would come to the aid of the United States if needed again. He has belittled the service of allied soldiers who fought and died alongside Americans.
In a series of social media posts, Trump hinted that the American-Israeli war against Iran is a test of NATO’s commitment.
“Most of our ‘allies’ in NATO have informed the United States that they do not wish to get involved in our military operation against the Iranian terrorist regime in the Middle East, despite almost all countries firmly supporting our action and Iran being strictly forbidden from possessing nuclear weapons,” the American president wrote in a lengthy post on social media.
“We will protect them, but they will not do anything for us, especially in times of need,” he added.
Canada joined the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan in a joint declaration regarding the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran. In this document, the countries expressed their willingness to “contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure navigation security in the strait.”
Trump’s insulting tone and the reactions from other countries make it difficult for NATO members to clearly assess the international situation and define a strategy, according to experts.
From a certain perspective, the future of the United States within NATO should now be based on stronger foundations, said Erwan Lagadec, an associate professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.
In recent years, Congress has adopted legislation that prohibits the executive branch from unilaterally reducing military personnel in Europe below a certain level and maintains the role of the United States within NATO command.
The US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, assured the alliance in February that the US remains committed to Article 5.
Canadians know from experience that Congressional safeguards do not prevent the president from acting on his impulses.
The Canada-United States-Mexico Free Trade Agreement was negotiated under the first Trump administration and adopted by Congress.
Many experts argue that Trump’s broad and unpredictable tariff program undermines his own trade agreement with the closest neighbors of the United States.
The president has also repeatedly threatened Canadian sovereignty and referred to both the current prime minister and his predecessor as “governors.”
While Europe is working to strengthen its military capabilities in response to the instability caused by the Trump administration, not all countries necessarily seek to completely break ties with the United States, noted Lagadec.
Canada is also increasing its military spending in part due to threats from the Trump administration.
Lagadec and Braun both agree that, given the length of the Canada-US border, the vast common territory, and the population difference between the two countries, it is not realistic to think that Canada can separate its defense from that of the United States.
