It’s over for NATO? Marco Rubio explains why 

The NATO alliance is in jeopardy, and that’s the fault of Europe. In our hour of need, our European allies are not meeting their obligations, and President Trump is taking note. So is Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who explained exactly why the president could pull us out of NATO.  

Rubio noted that he has always been a big supporter of NATO, but says circumstances are changing. Europe should take this warning very seriously. 

We have spent billions and billions of dollars — trillions over the years, as Rubio notes — paying for the defense of Europe. That’s our role as a superpower. But American assistance, American help, America’s defensive capabilities, cannot come with no strings attached. It can’t mean we give you everything and you give us nothing. That isn’t fair.  

It certainly isn’t America First. It’s not the foreign policy Trump ran on. 

Americans want the president to focus more on problems at home. That doesn’t mean leaving the rest of the world to its fate. But it does mean being strategic about how and when we deploy our military might. Our first president, George Washington, warned his fellow countrymen in his farewell address that we should avoid altogether entangling alliances with foreign countries. Now, that may not be completely possible in today’s interconnected world, but it’s still good advice as a matter of inclination and temperament for an administration. 

So, I think the ball is in Europe’s court. If you don’t want to lose the U.S. as a friend and ally, then fall in line. Lend a hand, when you are called upon — for instance, to aid our military operation in Iran. To pressure Iran on the Strait of Hormuz. Or don’t! But then, you can’t turn around and expect us to help you deal with Russia’s expansionism. You just can’t have it both ways. 

The time is coming when Europe is going to face a real reckoning. Americans are sick of free-riders — justifiably so. 

Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising” and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary. 

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