The recent NATO summit in The Hague exposed deep divisions, performative unity, and the growing irrelevance of the alliance as it struggles to redefine its purpose in a multipolar world.

Needless to say, the main target of the ire of NATO members was the Russian Federation, which we are supposed to believe is both on the verge of collapse thanks to the SMO in Ukraine, but also about to launch a full-scale invasion of NATO countries despite the fact it is “not winning” in Ukraine. Quite how they square this circle, I have no idea, but we have to remember that the members of NATO and the EU are not exactly what you would call rational these days.

The NATO summit was a failure, despite the outward show of “unity”, particularly in the form of agreement on all members spending a staggering 5% of GDP on defense. It should be remembered that the same members all agreed on a minimum of 2% in 2006, and spectacularly failed to do so.

Add to this the various dodges that member states will use to calculate “defense spending” including counting pensions for former service personnel, social spending, aid to Ukraine (both military and humanitarian), spending on road and rail links, and a whole host of other sleights of hand card tricks, and it is blatantly obvious that the 5% target is about as likely to be met as a cow jumping over the moon.

In addition, it was interesting to see how Zelensky was sidelined, and no mention made of Ukraine joining NATO except a handful of bilateral (and non-binding) statements by some member states. Could it be that NATO has finally understood what Ukraine joining would mean?

Perhaps, but given major European member states’ individual commitments to Ukraine, this is unlikely, it is more likely that this was done in deference to Trump, and that Democrat aligned members are waiting (and praying) for a return of the Democrats to power, where Ukraine would be quickly pulled into NATO, with disastrous results for both itself and Europe.

It is also interesting to note that NATO completely avoided another issue in its self-proclaimed “sphere of influence” that of Israeli genocide against the Palestinians, and its unprovoked attacks, along with the US, on Iran. Funnily enough, the US justification for striking Iran is also able to be used by Russia to justify the SMO, and with far better reason. It is also an object lesson for Russia that diplomacy with the US, and by extension with NATO and the EU is a dead end, with the US and Europe being not only unreliable, but completely dishonest.

And this not........

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