The French President tells “The Economist” that NATO is brain-dead, while Europe is “on the edge of a precipice”
Emmanuel Macron, the French President, has warned European countries that they can no longer rely on America to defend NATO allies.
“What we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO”.
Europe stands on “the edge of a precipice”, he says, and needs to start thinking of itself strategically as a geopolitical power.
Otherwise we will “no longer be in control of our destiny”, Macron said, as Index.hr reports.
During the hour-long interview, conducted in his office at the Elysée Palace in Paris, the president argues that it is high time for Europe to “wake up”.
Macron added that up till now USA and Europe had shared common interests, while he gave his best to maintain best possible relations with the US President Donald Trump.
But, he believes that Europe is now dealing for the first time with an American President who “does not share our idea of the European project”, concluding that America is turning its back on the European project. Moreover, Europe is being weakened from within by Brexit and political instability.
He was asked whether he believed in the effectiveness of Article Five, the idea that if one NATO member is attacked all would come to its aid, which many analysts think underpins the alliance’s deterrent effect.
“I don’t know”, he replied, “but what will Article Five mean tomorrow?”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the vocabulary used by French President Emmanuel Macron was harsh and said she doesn’t share his views.
Merkel commented on Emanuel Macron’s statement that NATO was undergoing a “brain death.”
“NATO remains the cornerstone of our security,” Merkel said at a news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Berlin.
Stoltenberg also rejected Macron’s description of NATO, Reuters reports.
Macron previously said in an interview with Britain’s “The Economist” that NATO is brain-dead and Europe is on the edge of precipice.
He warned members of the European Union that they could no longer rely on the US, that is, America could no longer be expected to stand up for NATO member states.
“What we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO, while Europe is on the edge of a precipice”, Macron said.
Source: b92
