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“If There Must Be Trouble, Let It Be in my Day, that My Child May Have Peace.”
— Thomas Paine
Non-US NATO members, you’ve had more than your fill of Donald Trump. You hate his lies, verbal abuse, childish rants, economic attacks, and boorish behavior. You hate his not-so-veiled threats to invade two of you — Canada and Greenland. You hate his coddling of Putin and his withdrawal of financial and military support for Ukraine. You hate his love affair with right-wing European political parties and leaders.
You are in good company. Many, if not most, Americans hate what Trump, with his fascist instincts and actions, is doing to:
We the People — Jefferson
A Free People — Washington
The Last Best Hope of Earth — Lincoln
The Arsenal of Democracy — Roosevelt
The “Rescuer” of the Old World — Churchill
The Shining City upon a Hill — Reagan
The Audacity of Hope — Obama
The Enemy of My Enemy
Yes, you are upset that Trump failed to consult with you before going to war with Iran. But regardless of why he failed to consult, it’s now time to focus on the big picture. Iran’s fanatical regime is your enemy just as much as it is ours and Israel’s. If the US and Israel weren’t around to protect you against Iran, your economic and geopolitical futures would be grim. Recall that your primary defender, Ukraine, is daily being attacked by your existential threat, Russia, with Iranian drones or Iranian-enhanced drones. Hence, “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” were those words to become reality, means “Death to Europe.”
As the Iranians demonstrated in March, they can now deliver death to Europe in 20 minutes by way of long-range ballistic missiles — missiles that can hit London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, and every other city in Europe.
If Trump goes TACO, and there is a strong whiff of this in the air, Iran will be free to rebuild its capacity to destroy the great Satans, including you. As it is, Iran has sufficient missiles, drones, and mines to block the Strait of Hormuz as long as it wishes absent a military response. Yesterday’s attack on a French tanker and today’s attacks on US naval vessels makes clear that Iran is determined to take full control of the Strait.
If the US says what you’re saying — “Not my problem” — and takes its marbles and goes home, your oil, LNG, jet fuel, petrochemical feedstocks, fertilizer, aluminum, and other vital Middle East imports will be forever hostage to Iran’s blackmail. Without regime change (or fundamental behavioral change), Iran will continue to conduct terrorist attacks in Europe. Without regime change, Iran will continue conducting mass murder of innocent Iranians. Recall its January execution of 20,000 plus peaceful protesters. Finally, Russia’s chief supplier of long-range drones will be back in business, helping Putin defeat Ukraine, whose survival is vital to your security.
Roosevelt and Churchill supported Stalin during WWII not because they liked him, but because he was fighting their enemy. Trump is fighting your enemy. You don’t need to like him or be friends with him. But you do need to help him for a simple reason — Iran’s regime, not Trump, is the real threat to your survival.
Time for the Old World to Rescue the New
The US needs your moral support as much as your military support. And Trump needs an abject lesson in the importance of NATO to the United States and, indeed, to achieving his own objectives. How better to do so than to invoke Article 5 and rescue that Old World from what appears to be its impending Pyrrhic victory.
The rescue would, of course, be more psychological and political than military. Over three in five Americans oppose the war in Iran. President Trump is not Reagan — The Great Communicator. Trump is the Inconsistent and Childish Communicator, making threats about annihilating Iran that reflect his latest tantrum, not his real intent. By invoking Article 5, you can help America stay and steer the course — not cut and run, which Trump’s unpopularity rating makes him wont to do so.
Chancellor Merz, Roosevelt did not publicly tell England that Dunkirk was a humiliation. You need to walk back your language and show the world that NATO remains united. Otherwise, you risk doing what you rightfully accuse America of doing with respect to Ukraine — undermining the alliance.
President Macron, calling the war on Iran “illegal” doesn’t help. Say something that does. Say that the Iranian regime is the real Satan, that the Iranian regime is illegal, that the Iranian regime (or its behavior) needs, after 47 years, to change. Tell the truth about preemptive strikes, namely that they are sometimes essential. Point out that had France taken out Hitler in 1933 it would have saved 50 million lives. And start taking credit for what you are doing, namely sending a French fleet to the Middle East. Proclaim that fleet as sailing in support of your NATO ally — the United States of America.
Prime Minister Starmer, revise your statement, the Iran war is “not our war.” Say, instead, “Real Iran peace is our peace and we’re sending our military to help the US achieve that peace under NATO’s Article 5.” Two NATO members were attacked in the last two days — France and the United States. Be Churchill. Call for the invocation of Article 5.
Prime Minister Tusk, tell the world that the Iran war is an opportunity to restore NATO, not lament its dissolution — that you are ready to vote to invoke Article 5 and will send forces to help your ally, the United States, just as you would expect your ally to help Poland were it invaded, as everyone predicts, by Russia. You don’t need to sign on to what has happened. You need to sign up for what will happen.
Prime Minister Kristersson, Sweden has just joined NATO. Standing back and saying you can’t see a “coherent strategy” doesn’t help. What would help is showing your membership in NATO is real. Push for unanimous invocation of Article 5. Regardless of its invocation, send Swedish troops to the aid of America. This is not the time to remain, as Sweden did in 1939, on the sidelines. This is the time for Sweden to show it joined NATO not just to get protection, but to give protection.
Prime Minister Meloni, saying the US/Israeli attack on Iran is “outside international law” is your right. But understand, Iran has been light years outside international law for what is now over 47 years. Your NATO ally is the United States, not Iran. Support your ally with actions and with these words: “I’m voting to invoke Article 5 to support Italy’s NATO ally, America, just as America came to Italy’s support on the beaches of Sicily in 1943 at the cost of of thousands of Americans dead and wounded, not to mention 1 million dead and wounded Americans through the course of WWII.”
Prime Minister Carney, support invocation of Article 5, and tell the world that "Canada, which refused to participate in the Iran war will participate in the Iran peace and stand, as in times of old, with its closest ally — the United States of America.”
Prime Minister Frederiksen, invoke Article 5 on behalf of Denmark. You have expressed Denmark’s “deep concern over Iran’s unacceptable behavior related to its nuclear program; its ballistic missiles; its destabilising activities in the region and beyond; and its violent crackdown and repression against its own people.” You may not like how this war started. You may think Iran would have stopped building offensive weapons, stopped arming Russia, stopped sponsoring terrorist attacks in Europe, and stopped supplying missiles and drones to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. But you do know that Iran’s capacity to engage in these actions is dramatically diminished thanks to the United States and Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran — precisely what your country and others should have done with Nazi Germany in 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, or 1938. It’s time to let the US know that Denmark stands with the US as it expects the US to stand with Denmark.
Imagine the message Iran, let alone Russia, will receive as each and every NATO member invokes Article 5 and comes to the help of its leader — the United States. Imagine the message that Canada and Denmark will send to the United States if they are the first to respond to America’s call and need for help. Imagine the message NATO’s support would send the American people, particularly these two Americans — Donald Trump and JD Vance. And transact like Trump. Get something when you give something — in this case, rapid delivery of Patriot missiles and other military supplies as well as restoration of financial aid to Ukraine.
It’s time for NATO members to look out for themselves by looking out for America. Our war with Iran is your war with Iran. Start fighting with us and stop sniping at us. Wishful thinking about what Iran would have done were it left alone is just that — wishful thinking. We live in a world where Iran is saying it needs to develop nuclear energy deep inside mountains for peaceful purposes. Only a child would ignore the meaning of that message/action and place their population, on an ongoing basis, under an Iranian nuclear Sword of Damocles.
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"Imagine the message Iran ... will receive as each and every NATO member invokes Article 5 and comes to the help of its leader — the United States"
oh, if only the US were still the leader of NATO. Trump has treated his "partners" so poorly; of course they won't bail him out.
the Biggest Problem - again - is this whole mess would've been avoided if Trump hadn't blown-up the JCPOA, whose biggest problem was that it was negotiated by Obama. Trump is incapable of not crapping-all-over anything Obama did.
Larry, you're mostly-right on this - it absolutely would be the best if NATO were to help. except that, once it's over, Trump will go-back to crapping all over them. that's just what this imbecile does.
I hear your concerns Larry but supporting a war we didn’t choose isn’t the same thing as defending ourselves. NATO works because allies consult, coordinate, and act together — not because they’re pressured into retroactively endorsing decisions made unilaterally. Iran is absolutely a challenge, but invoking Article 5 requires clear, direct aggression against a member state, not broad strategic fears. We can stand firm against Iranian destabilization while still insisting that major military actions follow international law and shared strategy. Unity is strongest when it’s built on good‑faith.