{"id":10926,"date":"2018-07-11T09:39:22","date_gmt":"2018-07-11T08:39:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/?p=10926"},"modified":"2018-07-11T09:43:21","modified_gmt":"2018-07-11T08:43:21","slug":"nato-allies-prepare-to-push-back-at-trump-but-not-too-much","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/fr\/nato-allies-prepare-to-push-back-at-trump-but-not-too-much\/","title":{"rendered":"NATO Allies Prepare to Push Back at Trump (but Not Too Much)"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Steven Erlanger<\/a>, July 9, 2018<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As the NATO summit meeting approaches, the big question for the alliance\u2019s member countries is how to handle President Trump.<\/span>Credit<\/span>Gabriella Demczuk for The New York Times<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\n

BRUSSELS \u2014 NATO summit meetings were once ritualistic events, with the member nations assembling to proclaim that the alliance had never been stronger and pledging to work together on the security issues of the day.<\/p>\n

In the Trump era, however, they have become anxiety-producing confrontations where the main object is to avoid long-term damage to the alliance. For the allies, that has meant figuring out how to handle President Trump, who arrives on Tuesday for this year\u2019s summit meeting having already\u00a0sent letters to some NATO member countries<\/a>\u00a0pressuring them to expand their military budgets.<\/p>\n

The allies see the President Trump of 2018 as different from the one who came to NATO last year \u2014 more aggressive, less willing to be moderated or guided by his senior staff and cabinet secretaries, more confident, especially after his meeting with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, in his own diplomatic prowess. They worry about his propensity for off-the-cuff pronouncements, like calling for abandoning sanctions against Russia or suspending NATO military exercises.<\/p>\n

The allies believe they have a decent story to tell about military initiatives to deter Russia, and they are expected to emphasize the considerable progress they have made in reaching spending targets, increasing spending on equipment and improving the readiness of their forces. And they have learned from the last year that handling Mr. Trump with kid gloves only seems to prompt his contempt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n