Close Political Ties to Trump Are Becoming Increasingly Toxic in Europe |
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The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has deepened rifts with several European countries. The Spanish government has been most outspoken in its opposition to the war, and U.S. allies like Germany and the United Kingdom have voiced some criticism while providing logistical support for the assault on Iran. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has tried to smooth over differences and placate President Trump, even as he has mused about pulling the U.S. out of the military alliance and renewed his threats to seize Greenland.
“If there’s one thing that actually one can say about President Trump, it’s that he’s been very consistent in his total disdain for Europe and for NATO,” says Nathalie Tocci, an international affairs scholar based in Madrid, as well as a Guardian Europe columnist.
“Trust in the relationship seems to be broken. And, of course, once trust is broken, it’s extremely difficult to put the genie back in the bottle.”
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman.
Greenland Is Not for Sale: An Indigenous Activist Speaks Out Against the US
We turn now to Europe, where the war in Iran has radically upended transatlantic ties with the United States. On Wednesday, President Trump met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House amidst growing threats to pull the U.S. from the military alliance. After the meeting, Trump lashed out on social media, saying, in all caps, quote, ”NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN. REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!” exclamation point three times.
The Wall Street Journal reports the Trump administration is considering moving U.S. troops out in NATO member countries Spain and Germany as punishment for not supporting the U.S. in its war on Iran.
On Thursday, the NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte suggested NATO could support the U.S. in the Strait of Hormuz, saying, quote, “If NATO can help, obviously NATO is there.” He also downplayed European opposition to the war.
MARK RUTTE: When it came time to provide the logistical and other support the United States needed in Iran, some allies were a bit slow, to say the least. In fairness, they were also a bit surprised. To maintain the element of surprise for the initial strikes, President Trump opted not to inform allies ahead of time, and I understand that. But what I see when I look across Europe today is allies providing a massive amount of support, basing, logistics and other measures, to ensure the powerful U.S. military succeeds in denying Iran a nuclear weapon and degrading its capacity to export chaos. … They have heard and are responding to President Trump’s requests.
MARK RUTTE: When it came time to provide the logistical and other support the United States needed in Iran, some allies were a bit slow, to say the least. In fairness, they were also a bit surprised. To maintain the element of surprise for the initial strikes, President Trump opted not to inform allies ahead of time, and I understand that. But what I see when I look across Europe today is allies providing a massive amount of support, basing, logistics and other measures, to ensure the powerful U.S. military succeeds in denying Iran a nuclear weapon and........