Just in case anyone missed the message, Pence encouraged the NATO countries that don’t spend two percent on defense to accelerate their plans to get there. “And if you don’t have a plan,” Pence said, “get one.”
To which NATO quickly acceded. “I fully support what has been underlined by President Trump and by Vice President Pence today, the importance of burden sharing,” Stoltenberg said. “I expect all allies to make good on the promise that we made in 2014 to increase defense spending and to make sure to have a fairer burden of sharing.”
On the issue of terrorism, Stoltenberg said yes again. First, he noted that NATO is helping train security forces in Afghanistan and Iraq and is contributing surveillance planes to the fight against ISIS. Then he added what Pence wanted to hear: “But we agree that the alliance can, and should do more, in the fight against terrorism.”
It’s hard to overstate the near-hysteria that met Trump’s “fair share” and “obsolete” comments. But the fact is, burden sharing is an old idea, and a non-controversial one. Modernizing NATO’s approach in the age of ISIS is also eminently reasonable. And now NATO, facing the reality of a Trump presidency, has little choice but to go along.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member