Nebraska Delegates Dismiss Suggestions That US May Withdraw from NATO

By Gordon Hopkins Two of Nebraska’s federal delegates recently spoke about this country’s relationship with NATO in light of President Donald Trump’s criticism of that organization. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, is a 32-member political and military alliance from Europe and North America, founded in 1949 to guarantee member security through collective defense.President Trump has threatened to pull out of the organization ever since his first term. Most recently, he has lambasted NATO countries for failing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, an important waterway through which much of the world’s oil supply is transported. In a Truth Social media post on Tuesday, March 17, the President wrote, in part, “I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need.” In an interview with CNN, U.S. Representative Don Bacon (R-NE) was critical of the President’s stance, “NATO is the best alliance, strongest alliance in history. They've gone to war on our behalf after 9/11. He seems to forget that. But he has talked down to our NATO allies from day one. And when you treat your allies disrespectfully, you can't just expect them to jump, when you say, jump.” Bacon pointed out that the President does not have unilateral authority to withdraw from NATO.“If he broke up NATO on his own, it would be a civil war in the Republican caucus, or the conference,” said Bacon. “Most of us would find that totally unacceptable, and I’m not alone. There’s a large group of us that believe in our alliances and standing up for freedom and pushing back on China and Russia.” U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) agreed with Bacon’s assessment that the President could not unilaterally pull out of NATO. Ricketts suggested Trump’s comments were a negotiating tactic. In a press conference on Wednesday, March 18, Senator Ricketts said, “As you know, the President has a negotiating style really starts far on one end of where he hopes to be, and then negotiates back from that. So, I would see this as really part of the President's negotiation strategy to engage our NATO allies with regard to what's going on in the Middle East.” Meanwhile, some in Europe believe it best to work under the assumption that the U.S. will soon no longer be part of NATO or, at least, no longer be a driving force behind the organization.In an editorial earlier this week, in The Independent, General Sir Richard Shirreff, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, wrote, “The world in which the USA led the transatlantic relationship in underwriting the global rules-based order is gone forever and will not return.”Ricketts dismissed Sir Shirreff’s claim outright. “I think that we've got very strong relationship with our European allies, and the rules-based system that we set up is the one that is going to benefit the world long term. So, I think that that's an exaggeration to say that,” said Senator Ricketts. “I think the sky is falling routine makes maybe good press, and you can get an editorial printed on it, but it's really not the reality on the ground.”

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