The Munich Security Conference has long been seen as a celebration of the US-led post-World War II international order.
MUNICH — Long seen as a celebration of the U.S.-led post-World War II international order, this year's Munich Security Conference will be more reflective of America's political turmoil.
The annual event opens Friday after former President Donald Trump threatened not to come to the defense of European allies in the event of an attack by Russia. There are also widespread concerns about whether the United States will be able to continue providing billions of dollars in defense aid to Ukraine and whether it will become increasingly isolated over support for Israel's war in Gaza.
As if that wasn't enough, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have been impeached several times since Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached by the Republican-led House of Representatives on charges that Democrats say are suspicious. He is scheduled to accompany the minister to the meeting a few days later.
Increasingly dire developments in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, as well as President Trump's inflammatory statements, suggest that rather than this event being dominated by an optimistic future outlook, the event is dominated by unwelcome ghosts of Munich's past, authoritarianism and appeasement. , meaning it could be overshadowed by anti-Semitism.
The capital of Bavaria is known for many good things, but recent developments in Europe and the Middle East, combined with the unstable political situation in the United States, have made Munich's history as the birthplace of the Nazi Party in the 1920s, We are reminded of Europe's appeasement of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s. , and the massacre of Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Participants, including Harris and Blinken, are expected to praise U.S. leadership, but the meeting will also hear questions about the unprecedented challenge to the global rules and regulations it has championed in its 60 years of existence. .
And it will all be overshadowed by President Trump's threat that European allies will not automatically be able to protect them if they are attacked by Russia. This is the basis of NATO's founding treaty, and it has taken on added importance since Russia's all-out attack on Ukraine in 2022.
Additional U.S. funding for the fight against Ukraine remains stalled in Congress, with House Republicans joining Trump in opposing military aid.
President Joe Biden has branded Trump's comments about NATO “dangerous” and “un-American,” calling the former president's comments to fuel doubts among partners about America's future credibility on the world stage. used.
The White House said Wednesday that Harris would use her Munich engagement to highlight the Biden administration's continued strong support for NATO, in contrast to Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He announced that he was going to emphasize this.
Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the alliance is “stronger and more important than it has been for 75 years, when we just added Finland and were about to add Sweden.” He also noted that since Biden took office, the alliance has grown from nine member states to 18 this month to meet its pledge to spend 2% of GDP on defense.
James O'Brien, the top U.S. diplomat for Europe, said Blinken also plans to deliver that message in Munich.
O'Brien told reporters that U.S. administrations, both Democratic and Republican, “view NATO as the foundation of our national security, certainly in Europe, but increasingly as a global partner.” .
But European leaders and NATO officials remain concerned.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned President Trump's comments. “Relativizing NATO support guarantees is irresponsible, dangerous, and only in Russia's interest,” he said, adding, “No one can be involved in or 'deal with' Europe's security.” Stated.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said statements like Trump's were a sign of the credibility of NATO's collective security efforts, meaning that an attack on any member state requires a response from all members. It said that it cast doubt on the credibility of Article 5 of the Founding Treaty.
“The whole idea of NATO is that an attack against one ally provokes an alliance-wide response, and as long as we collectively support that message, we will deter any military attack against any ally.” said. “Any suggestion that we won’t stand up for each other, that we won’t protect each other, makes us all less safe.”
