EditorialBeijing benefits from Donald Trump Nato fallout
- US president’s proposal to withdraw thousands of troops from Germany risks weakening strength of bloc at a difficult time with Russia and reinforces position of China
American President Donald Trump cares little about diplomacy. His plan to pull about 9,500 of his country’s troops from Germany is purely political and ignores a long-standing alliance, agreements with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and national interests.
Nor does it make military sense. If the proposal goes ahead, Beijing can rejoice as China is the one most likely to benefit.
Relations between Washington and Berlin have been frosty under Trump, the most contentious of several issues being military spending. American troops have been based in Germany since the end of World War II and he has been pressing German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government and other members of Nato to shoulder a greater share of the security alliance’s costs.
The withdrawal would reduce the US contingent in Germany to 25,000, enabling redeployment of some to Trump-friendly Poland and the rest back to the US.
The president’s re-election bid in November is also at play; he is under domestic pressure over his handling of the Covid-19 crisis and race riots, and the pull-out, in keeping with his “America first” policy, is sought for September.