Guy Ciarrocchi: NATO has ended. Acknowledge it and start fresh.

NATO is broken. Actually, it has essentially ended. It’s time to acknowledge it. Have the break up. Try to remain friends. But it’s time to look to the future with new alliances.

Like many relationships, it’s over and no one wants to say it.

NATO achieved its stated goal. It was a success. The Soviet Union collapsed and dissolved. Members should’ve celebrated and then closed down before 2000 — around the time when Russia asked to join NATO. 

It exists in name only. There is no clarity of mission, nor unity. The members do not agree on how they would like to run their own nations, who or what they are fighting for or against, or what each is willing to do and obligated to do in order to be members in good standing.

Trump essentially said this in his unique way. Yet, even he hesitates to say it bluntly, sensing the unease it would cause. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a thoughtful, articulate vision — call to unity — setting forth a 21st-century mission statement of what NATO should be, with proud, vibrant members. Yet the response was for founding members to applaud Rubio’s speech, but then go back to the way they’ve been behaving in domestic and international affairs.

NATO was formed in 1949 as a defense alliance to protect our allies from attack and expansion by the Soviet Union.The Russian communist dictatorship expanded its territory and power by annexing many of its neighbors (e.g., Ukraine) and creating subservient regimes under its sphere of influence in “independent” nations behind the “Iron Curtain” (e.g., Poland).

The NATO vs. USSR division was highlighted in the split between West Germany and East Germany, with “the Wall” being most clear in the division in West and East Berlin. The dictators built it to keep East Germans from escaping to the West.

Under decades of Leadership of the United States and allies, and the notable courage of President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher — with help from a Polish-born Pope — the USSR is gone.

“The wall” was torn down and easterners rushed west. That reality was a public, real-life display that people prefer freedom, liberty, and capitalism over the “warmth of collectivism.” The Soviet-puppet regimes of Poland and Hungary, etc., are long gone. Those nations are thriving — embracing capitalism, the rule of (transparent) law, and unalienable rights. The notable exception is the Russia-Ukraine war — as Russia fights to recapture this now-independent nation.

NATO’s irony is that the new members — the newly independent nations — hunger for democracy, capitalism, and individual liberties more than founding members. They had seen the moral, economic and spiritual bankruptcies of communism and communist dictatorships.

Rather than falling prey to the Soviet Union, the founding NATO nations are losing from within, growing their welfare states. Also, NATO existed to protect its borders from invaders, yet founding members both reduced their military spending and size. Great Britain’s navy has shrunk by 60 percent and its seamen reduced by almost 70 percent. Italy’s army is only two-thirds of what it was. France went from spending five percent of its GDP on national defense, to not quite two percent — until recent growth. The USA spends the largest amount of GDP amongst NATO, by far. 

Western European members have chosen not to enforce their borders, allowing millions to pour into their nations. With no vetting, many new residents arrived not seeking to assimilate, but actively seeking to impose their culture, customs, and religion in their new homes.

In short, many of the NATO nations who had come together for common defense had consciously or unconsciously given up the will and armaments to protect themselves, and had initiated a series of domestic policies that made them less safe and less free (than when they joined NATO).

And we all see the disunity in the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran. Founding European NATO members angry that the US wouldn’t shoulder the burden to confront Russia suddenly pledging to work together to “stand up” to Russia — what they had failed to do for decades.

They committed national suicide by crippling their energy production, becoming dependent on Russia — the nation they allegedly wanted to confront. Needing oil from the Middle East; but, not wanting to help protect the Strait of Hormuz, nor even allow the US to use American built bases in Western Europe to fight Iran.

NATO died. It’s crystal clear, yet no one wants to say it. We should not — and will not — be adversaries with the UK, France, Germany and Italy. But we are not NATO-era allies. 

Is it still in America’s interest to share military intelligence with Turkey? With Spain? Does anyone believe that France could protect itself, let alone America?

Putting aside the disagreements among the United States and members of NATO, the founding NATO nations — to varying degrees — are moving towards socialism and giving up the will, armaments, and manpower to defend themselves.

Allowing NATO to linger on is delusional. To have joint military operations, share intelligence information and suggest that all members would work together in all but the most unique of circumstances is becoming dangerous to the United States.

A new alliance of nations committed to capitalism, inalienable rights, the rule of law, proud of western civilization and its traditions and committed to true national defense may be worth pursuing.

NATO has ended. For America’s security, it’s past time to acknowledge it. 

Guy Ciarrocchi writes for Broad + Liberty and RealClear Pennsylvania.A graduate of Villanova Law School, and Saint Joseph’s University with a degree in International Relations, follow Guy at @PaSuburbsGuy.