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This by @StevenErlanger, on German vs. French thinking about NATO is illuminating. Also worrying, for Macron has seen something that Germans - and the British - refuse to see: That Trump reflects a fundamental shift in America's view of the world https://nyti.ms/2OGiKnF
We will not go back to the status quo ante, as I have argued in the past. With all due respect for Merkel and her admirable sense of caution, her refusal even to imagine a Europe without an American security umbrella is dangerous. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/non-americans-be-warned-there-will-be-no-return-to-normal-after-trump/2019/08/02/a3b83784-b551-11e9-8f6c-7828e68cb15f_story.html?fbclid=IwAR1HQOdTGMnxrsFiZIVVbPYHLGPOC7G4vW1sbZehkJorsaHrWtBbEnKwQTg
And yes, it is ironic: As an institution, NATO now works better than at any time in recent history. I've written that too. It is more integrated, it has thought hard about defending its eastern flank. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/nato-is-still-practicing-for-the-worst/2018/06/08/3c2409d0-6b34-11e8-bea7-c8eb28bc52b1_story.html
But the German, British, and Polish refusal to understand the significance of Trump, to prepare for what could be the consequences of his second term or of an isolationist democrat, is actually dangerous, head-in-the-sand behavior.
I get that Macron is annoying to Merkel and to other Europeans, that people don't like hearing him think out loud, that what he says could inadvertently hasten the break-up of the alliance too. But he is the realist. They are living in the past.
