How a US takeover of Greenland would undermine Nato from within

"The idea that one Nato country could attack another a US invasion of Greenland is so alien that the most famous article in Nato's founding treaty does not distinguish clearly what would happen if two of its members were at war. Article 5, the cornerstone of mutual protection, dictates that an armed attack against one or more in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all."

"During the 2024 election campaign, Donald Trump said he would not protect delinquent Nato members, countries that did not meet the then target of spending 2% of GDP on defence. The US was no longer primarily focused on defending Europe, his defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, emphasised in February. It was enough to provoke alarm in Europe, but diplomacy in the run-up to June's Nato summit appeared to have massaged away the problem."

Article 5 frames an armed attack against one or more members in Europe or North America as an attack against all, yet it does not clearly cover conflict between member states. An attack by the United States on another NATO member would likely halt alliance operations and undermine NATO effectiveness, creating strategic advantage for adversaries such as Russia. The 2024 US election campaign featured threats to withhold protection from members failing to meet defence-spending targets and signalled a reduced US focus on defending Europe. A NATO agreement to raise spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035 eased tensions superficially but left deeper transatlantic uncertainty unresolved.

Read at www.theguardian.com