"If Trump Is Reelected, US May Withdraw from NATO"...Concerns from Former and Current Officials

John Kelly "It Was Hardest to Dissuade Trump from Leaving NATO"
Trump Administration Argues a NATO-like Organization Is Needed in the Pacific

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Concerns have emerged among current and former U.S. officials that if Donald Trump, President of the United States (face), is re-elected, he will actively pursue withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Recently, the U.S. State Department has emphasized the need for a collective security organization similar to NATO in the Asia-Pacific region, but a contrary situation could unfold in the Atlantic. Some interpret this not merely as President Trump's personal view, but as part of a military strategy in which the U.S., viewing China as a realistic threat, seeks to shift the security axis from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 3rd (local time), Michael Schmidt, an NYT reporter, revealed in his upcoming book, "Donald Trump vs. America: The Inside Struggle to Stop the President," that current and former U.S. officials are concerned about the possibility of the U.S. withdrawing from NATO if Trump is re-elected. According to him, former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly stated in an interview, "The most difficult task related to Trump was preventing him from withdrawing from NATO."

Earlier, former White House National Security Council (NSC) advisor John Bolton also explained in an interview with Japan's Asahi Shimbun earlier last month, "President Trump treats alliances not as relationships based on politics or values but as transactions based on financial terms," adding, "There is a real possibility he will withdraw from NATO if re-elected."

Since his 2016 presidential campaign, President Trump has persistently criticized NATO member countries for free-riding by relying on the U.S. for security and has insisted on pressuring these countries to increase their defense budgets. At the 75th anniversary event commemorating the end of World War II held on the 2nd in Wilmington, North Carolina, he emphasized America's sacrifice by saying, "The alliance to protect Western Europe from the Soviet Union started from our ashes," but, as the NYT pointed out, he did not mention continuing a sustained security relationship with Europe going forward.

Thomas Wright, director of the U.S.-Europe Research Center at the Brookings Institution, a U.S. think tank, also expressed concern, saying, "The relationship between the U.S. and NATO is actually in a dangerous situation," and "If Trump enters a second term, a more hardline and diplomatically inexperienced staff will be appointed in large numbers."

On the other hand, in the Asia-Pacific region, there is advocacy for a collective security system similar to NATO. On the 31st of last month, Steven Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, suggested the need for a NATO-like organization in the Indo-Pacific at the annual meeting of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum, stating, "The Indo-Pacific region lacks a strong multilateral security system like NATO compared to other regions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.