Can Nato remain relevant?

The ongoing dilemma surrounding Nato's expanding portfolio of tasks has intensified under the Trump 2.0 administration, which increasingly exposes an inner tension regarding the financial burdens associated with the alliance.

- GOURI SANKAR NAG AND AKBOTA ZHOLDASBEKOVA

This shift suggests a hard-line nationalist cost-benefit analysis that risks undermining the foundational commitment essential for maintaining the post-Cold War security architecture in Europe.

Such an approach not only jeopardizes European security but also challenges the legitimacy of nation-states within Europe, whose stability is closely tied to Nato's responsibility in deterring Russia's sturdy posturing. Any wavering in understanding European security could erode regional safety, although pulls of globalization increasingly operate to replace geography. This indicates that Nato, being hitherto pivotal to Europe's evolution and transition from a traditional economic union to a more resilient coherence, can no longer be taken for granted as a trusted security provider.

Let us analyse the possible scenarios of Nato's dithering:

First, Nato plays a crucial role in cementing the bond that holds the political union of the European countries together. In the event of Nato's retreat or fissures in solidarity, European democracies might find themselves in chaotic divisive conditions and fall into rival groups. This division could lead to increased tensions, recriminations and squabbles among European powers, potentially destabilizing the region.

Second, the tussle between European powers and America, stylistically being termed as 'Atlantic decoupling', could set in motion mutual resentment and a frenetic style of recriminations. However, this should not be overextended to mean that Europe is opposed to Nato. It has been well argued in a piece published in The Statesman that for Britain it is not a cakewalk but a matter of delicate balancing to match "British interests while navigating Mr. Trump's transactional approach to international relations".