On 7 July, Donald Trump will not be able to resist taking centre stage in Ankara, where the NATO summit is being held. His oversized ego compels him to put on a show.
But does he actually know what he wants for the Atlantic Alliance? Nothing could be less certain. His administration is divided between those who are hostile to Europe and those who are delighted to find there are still a few countries and customers obliged to buy American.
Contrary to the Organisation’s Secretary-General’s ridiculous narrative, it was not the US President’s tirades that convinced the Europeans to reinvest in defence.
Rather, it was the confirmation that America is looking elsewhere – towards Asia – and the new hybrid Russian threat, which is playing out now in Ukraine, right here on our own soil.
Europeans have realised that they would be on their own should things take a turn for the worse; they are preparing for this and are, in fact, increasingly well-equipped to deal with it.
Once the military expression of the free world, NATO is now nothing more than a useful tool in the hands of Europeans, one that has taught them about interoperability and working together. The Americans are withdrawing from it slowly but surely.
And the free world no longer has a leader; it has only one embodiment: Europe, with its successes and values, but also its shortcomings and imperfections.
As usual, the heads of state attending the summit in Ankara will seek to appease the White House so as to avoid the rift that he regularly hints at without actually stating it.
As is only to be expected, Europe’s security depends solely on itself and on its unity. Here’s hoping it can demonstrate this more clearly! In Ankara, why not?
