Why the Nato alliance is not as likely to dissolve as Trump makes it seem

Trump has upped the stridency and threatening nature of his complaints, but the US and Europe need each other Collateral damage is a universally acknowledged hazard of war – more commonly known for its impact on truth and non-combatant civilians. Its consequences are much less frequently visited on military alliances. The United States’ North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) allies are fearful that may be about to change as a result of the fallout from Washington’s decision to team up with Israel in waging war against Iran. Donald Trump has attacked the pact with a vehemence rarely heard over what he regards as disloyalty and failure to help in re-opening the strait of Hormuz. Tehran closed the strategic waterway in response to the military onslaught it faced in the conflict, which is currently paused thanks to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan. Trump’s criticisms of the 77-year-old alliance are nothing new; accusations of freeloading against allies for supposedly inadequate defence spending date back to his first term. But the stridency and threatening nature of Trump’s complaints have escalated, triggering fears that he could abandon the alliance – an act that would re