NATO Talk with Illner Wadephul: "We can rely on Trump" (Revised)
Trump's Reliability, According to Wadephul
Hey there! You won't believe what the NATO summit was all about. Yep, you guessed it, it was Trump's show. He got the European members to commit to spending five percent of their GDP on defense, soon. Now the question is, can we really rely on Trump? The European foreign minister acknowledges progress, but he's quick to point out that the Europeans can't depend on that.
The "Ladies" are happy White House presents Trump as NATO-"Daddy"The Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, praises the NATO summit, saying they've made some big, long-overdue decisions. But Trump's focus on defense spending is nothing new, political scientist Florence Gaub points out. It's just that the current President isn't as diplomatic as his predecessors. The USA sees China as their number one threat, Gaub explains, and they can't defend both us and Taiwan at the same time. That's why Europeans need to step up and take care of themselves.
Left Party Leader: We don't need frigatesLeader of The Left party, Jan van Aken, argues that security should be thought of in European terms, not just in response to American demands. But he's not happy with NATO's goals, which seem too focused on Russia. Van Aken suggests that we don't need frigates that spend 365 days away from home just to guard trade routes. He thinks we should focus on national defense instead of becoming the fourth military superpower.
"No one is talking about foreign deployments anymore," Florence Gaub points out.Gaub believes that it's about securing Europe, not the world. That includes protecting trade routes, even through the Arctic where Russian nuclear submarines lurk. Director of the Army, Alfons Mais, agrees, emphasizing that while the increasing Russian military strength is a concern, the focus should be on responding to the threat and preserving life in Europe. Wadephul adds that if Europe can no longer defend its trade routes, then all progress would be at risk.
Wadephul sees it differently.Van Aken relies on diplomacy in times of crisis, but Wadephul believes that EU nations should be willing to defend their trade routes, even if it means deploying troops overseas. In the end, he says, diplomacy alone won't get us anywhere.
Sources:* ntv.de
Key Players:* Johann Wadephul* Donald Trump* Florence Gaub* Jan van Aken* Alfons Mais
- The European Union, despite its focus on diplomacy in times of crisis, as advocated by Jan van Aken, is committed to politics that involve defending trade routes, according to the foreign minister, Johann Wadephul.
- The European Union, following the NATO summit, is not only focusing on Russia as the general-news topic for its defense strategies, but also recognizes the need to secure trade routes and protect itself as a political entity, as highlighted by political scientist Florence Gaub and foreign minister Johann Wadephul.
