US presidential candidate’s comments at a campaign rally have repercussions for allies: “We will not defend criminals”; suggests the possibility of withdrawing the security umbrella when he is re-elected; NYT “Reminiscent of Acheson’s line sung on June 25”
Former President Donald Trump (pictured), the main Republican presidential candidate of the United States, made a statement with the intention of ‘encouraging Russia to invade the member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that have not paid enough for their defense costs.’ When in power, he pressured member countries to spend 2.0% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence, saying NATO was “free-riding on security,” and even hinted at the possibility of withdrawing the security umbrella the league back. on the basis of defense spending if it returns to power.
Former President Trump told an anecdote during a campaign rally in South Carolina on the 10th (local time) that a former leader of a NATO member state asked him, “Even if we don’t pay for defense, will you defend if we are attacked by Russia?” In response, he said, “If you are a criminal, I will not protect you.” “Instead, we will encourage Russia to do what it wants,” he said. He also added that he said, “You have to pay your bill.”
During his time in office, former President Trump expressed strong dissatisfaction, saying that wealthy allies were not paying enough for defense. He criticized South Korea and Germany, saying they were trying to ‘tear the US apart’ and ‘I can’t understand why a rich country spends so little on defence.’ The withdrawal of US troops stationed in Korea and Germany was also mentioned.
The allies protested. “Any suggestion that allies cannot defend each other undermines the security of everyone, including the United States,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement on the 11th.
The New York Times (NYT) expressed concern that if former President Trump were to return to power, the US security umbrella that has supported the alliance for more than 80 years since World War II could all but end . Specifically, “North Korea started a war just five months after US Secretary of State Dean Acheson announced a ‘defense line (Acheson Line)’ excluding South Korea in 1950. It was assessed that it could lead to a standoff.
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“An attack on one member state is treated as an attack on all member states and is jointly defended.”
This is the content of ‘Article 5 of the Charter’ of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which was established in 1949. The reality is that if just one of the 31 NATO member countries is attacked, the 30 remaining country unites their military forces and launches a joint counter-attack. Finland and Sweden, which had until now maintained neutrality after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, joined NATO in anticipation of this collective security umbrella.
Article 5 of the NATO Charter, which has been upheld for 75 years, is being shaken to its core due to the comments of the former President of the United States, Donald Trump. On the 10th (local time), when he was in power, he criticized NATO for ‘free riding on security’ at every opportunity and put strong pressure on each member state to raise its defense budget to 2% of its gross domestic product ( GDP). He issued a threat to the effect that “if he returns to power, he will be prepared to go so far as to encourage a Russian invasion against non-paying allies.”
It cannot be ruled out that similar pressure will be applied not only to major NATO members but also to key Asian allies such as Korea and Japan. Former President Trump already talked about the possibility of withdrawing US troops from Korea when he was in office and also asked for a five-fold increase in defense cost sharing.
● Trump: “Even if you’re an ally, you’re offended if you don’t pay.”
The United States was responsible for most of NATO’s funding after its establishment. According to NATO, the United States covered 71.7% of NATO’s defense spending in 2017, when former President Trump took office. In particular, former President Trump increased the level of pressure on all member states by directly mentioning the ‘2% of GDP’ standard.
According to the international statistics website Statista, as of last year, among the 31 NATO member countries, a total of 11 countries spent more than 2% of GDP on defence, including Poland (3.9%), the United States (3.49% ), and Greece (3.01%). When former President Trump was in office, he contradicted then German Chancellor Angela Merkel at every turn, asking, “Why does a rich country pay so little?” regarding Germany’s failure to meet this standard. President Trump eventually announced a plan to reduce the number of US troops stationed in Germany by 12,000 out of 36,000 in 2020.
In his comments that day, former President Trump treated countries that did not meet the standards as “criminals.” This means we owe money to the United States. In this situation, if he returns to power in the November presidential election, many NATO member countries whose defense spending falls below 2.0% are expected to suffer from strong calls from the United States for an increase.
South Korea may also face pressures related to increased defense spending and adjustments to US forces stationed in Korea. Accordingly, the government is said to have decided to start negotiations with the United States early this year to conclude the 12th Special Defense Cost Sharing Agreement (SMA) in preparation for a possible return to force. The SMA is an agreement that specifies the amount to be paid by the Korean government for the cost of stationing US troops in Korea. The 11th SMA applies until 2025.
Regarding the reason for the hasty start to the SMA negotiations, which have some two years left until the end date, a government source said, “There were also concerns that if former President Trump was elected, he might demand a large increase in his contribution as he was elected. he did when he was in office.” It has been reported that Lee Tae-woo, Consul General in Sydney, has been appointed as our representative for negotiations.
● Biden-The whole of Europe is bursting.
US President Joe Biden, who is likely to clash with former President Trump again in the presidential election, said in a statement on the 11th, “This is a green light for Russia to attack not only Ukraine, but also Poland and the Baltic countries,” and criticized it as “horrific and dangerous.” Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who is competing with former President Trump in the Republican presidential nomination, said, ” You should not side with the thugs (Russian President Vladimir Putin).”
All of Europe was turned upside down. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that it “weakens the United States and Europe and puts American and European troops at greater risk.” Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said, “NATO cannot be a military alliance that operates based on the whims of the president of the United States.”
Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kośniakkamys was also angry about former President Trump’s re-election campaign, saying, “It cannot be an excuse to play with the security of our allies.” Former British senator Peter Ricketts, citing former President Trump’s golf hobby, said, “NATO is not a ‘country club’ providing defense services for a fee of 2% of GDP.”
New York = Correspondent Kim Hyun-soo kimhs@donga.com
Reporter Ha Jeong-min dew@donga.com
Reporter Shin Jin-woo niceshin@donga.com
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