Is NATO threatened by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on eight European allies? StoneX chief analyst Matt Simpson was quoted by Reuters as saying: “With Trump throwing tariffs into the mix, it’s clear that his threat to Greenland is real and that we could be one step closer to the end of NATO and the political imbalance in Europe.”
Read also | What Trump’s Greenland Tariffs on NATO Countries Mean for Gold, Silver, D-Street
Trump wants to buy or annex Greenland and has imposed 10 percent tariffs on countries that oppose US control of Greenland. Trump has not ruled out using force to take it over, raising fears in Europe about the prospect of a direct confrontation between NATO nations.
The US president also refused to rule out the possibility of leaving NATO because of Greenland. Asked if he would “pull out of NATO if it doesn’t help you get Greenland,” Trump said, “We’ll see.
Earlier in 2024, Trump said NATO was “taking advantage” of the US and said the US would only remain a member if others “paid their bills”.
Read also | What Trump’s Greenland Tariffs on NATO Countries Mean for Gold, Silver, D-Street
But what is NATO? Why was it created? Who are the members? Let’s dive into this strategic alliance
What is the full form of NATO?
NATO is the abbreviation for the North Atlantic Alliance.
What is NATO?
NATO is an alliance of 32 countries from North America and Europe. It has been growing steadily since its inception.
Read also | US Senator Bernie Sanders criticizes Trump’s Greenland tariffs on NATO allies
When was NATO formed?
NATO was created on April 4, 1949 by 12 countries from Europe and North America.
Why was NATO created?
The United States, Canada, and several Western European countries formed NATO to provide security against the Soviet Union. Member states meet through NATO to discuss political and security issues and make collective decisions based on consensus.
What is NATO’s role?
According to the US government, NATO’s primary goal is to protect the freedom and security of allies by political and military means. At the heart of the alliance is one key aspect: an attack against one ally is an attack against all – the promise of collective defence.
In addition, Article 4 of the Washington Treaty provides for consultations between the Allies on security issues of common concern, which have expanded from the Soviet threat to the mission in Afghanistan, peacekeeping in Kosovo, terrorism, emerging security threats such as cyber attacks and piracy that affect the Alliance and its global network of partners.
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In addition to its role in the territorial defense of allied countries, NATO leads the UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and has ongoing missions in the Balkans and the Mediterranean.
It also conducts extensive training exercises and offers security support to partners around the world, including notably the European Union, but also the United Nations and the African Union.
Who are NATO members?
As of March 2024, NATO has 32 member countries. They are: Albania
Albania, Belgium, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, Türkiye, United Kingdom, United States of America.
Who pays for NATO?
NATO explained in the video that each NATO country contributes to the cost of running the alliance based on a calculation linked to gross national income.
Each member also contributes a percentage of its budget and provides forces and capabilities to NATO.
Allies share the costs of NATO operations and missions, headquarters, command structure and jointly owned equipment.
In certain cases, allied groups can also build new initiatives, such as its transnational fund to support research and investment in high technology.
Are Trump’s tariffs a threat to NATO?
According to Reuters, Trump’s latest 10% tariff on some European allies has led to “direct confrontation between NATO nations”.
Trump previously promised to impose a wave of escalating tariffs on European allies until the United States is allowed to buy Greenland.
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Trump said in a post on Truth Social that starting February 1, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland will be charged a 10 percent tariff on all goods they export to the US. All of these countries, including the US, are members of NATO.
Meanwhile, Danish and other European officials have argued that Greenland is already covered by NATO’s Collective Security Treaty.
