Europe must be an equal partner in NATO
By Khaled Abou Zahr
What is the strength of an alliance? Being generic and banal, it is, as most people say, only as strong as its weakest link. But the real question is whether it is still considered an alliance when one member is taking on the bulk of the responsibilities and financial burden. The answer is “not really,” especially when it relates to alliances or coalitions between states. The relationship then becomes more like that of a vassal state and its superior. As the US is recalibrating its global strategy, many Europeans are waking up to this reality and questioning the future of the transatlantic alliance.
This awakening is taking time, after an initial period of denial during President Donald Trump’s first mandate, followed by a period of wishful thinking during Joe Biden’s presidency. The Europeans now need to decide on their future. If we were to segment the views, they would be very clear. There are those who simply wish to do nothing and those who wish to break up with the US, claiming that Washington is abandoning Europe.
I disagree with both views. There should be another way forward, which is to become stronger and strengthen the alliance. The first step to achieve this is to stay committed to the transatlantic alliance and the second is to build up European defense and resilience. The objective for Europeans should be to lead in their own arena, with the support of the US, but not act as the second line of defense behind the US.
This is why I also disagree with the way the US administration is depicted. In his speech at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting last month, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney argued that the long-standing US-led “rules-based” international order is no longer functioning as it once did and that the world has entered a period of sharp geopolitical “rupture.” In other words, he said what all European leaders also say: that the global system built and protected by the US allowed us to benefit, but now that the US is asking for accountability and commitment, it is not working to our advantage anymore, so it needs to change.
This is kind of like saying that they accepted a form of corruption, but now that they need to pay up, the “middle powers,” as Carney described them, need to do something else. But if the Europeans, like Carney’s reactions showed, believe that China will pick up the tab and take over the system, they are greatly mistaken.
An answer to this position came from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech at last weekend’s Munich Security Conference. This was a positive one, not negative, unlike what most European commentators stated. He said it point blank: the US wants a strong Europe.
So, even for those claiming they want to break up with the US, this is a historic opportunity to take the lead. But it means that Europe needs to roll up its sleeves, unify its strategy and put its money where its mouth is. It is also worth stating that Rubio’s speech is as important to remember as Vice President J.D. Vance’s a year prior — both should be taken as the message of the administration.
The mistake would be to see Rubio’s speech as a shift or a softening in the US position. What the message really says is that Europe has drowned in futile “woke” causes, just as the US did, and on America’s dime. However, during that time, the US never forgot its role of protecting and strengthening its military to face global dangers, while Europe slept and believed its “woke” issues were the urgent and important ones facing the world. This allowed enemies to pop up everywhere. Now is the time to build up, become a real partner and create a real alliance — and it all starts from within Europe.
The same message of criticism was conveyed by a commentator on X, who wrote that the US wants to transform Europe into South America, where countries live in total instability. I agree with the potential outcome but disagree with the cause. It is not the US but Europeans themselves that could make this happen if they are unable to unify their defense, foreign policy and global resilience efforts.
Europe cannot rise to this challenge through bickering and disunity. That would be the end of Europe. The domains of defense and deterrence are ones of great influence, economic interests and large industries; the risk is that we witness greater fragmentation and weaknesses due to national interests. The opportunity lies in doing the opposite.
Europeans need to consider the urgency of the situation in Ukraine and other hot spots. They must show real pragmatism in developing the deterrence and defense systems needed. By becoming stronger and recalibrating relations with the US, they will be able to face global risks with greater assertiveness.
This is not the time to improvise but to execute. So, there is no need to discuss new alliances and the replacement of NATO. It is time to gain greater agency and responsibilities within NATO and enhance European efficiency. This can only take place if Europeans find a consistent decision-making process for foreign policy and defense. The prospect for all to come out of this stronger and engage in this alliance is real. The US has been and always will be a trusted partner — it is now asking for us to do our fair share of the work. It is time to seize this chance without arrogance.
Khaled Abou Zahr is the founder of SpaceQuest Ventures, a space-focused investment platform. He is CEO of EurabiaMedia and editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.