Trump’s NATO Afghan War Comments Reveal Dangerous Misunderstanding of America’s Alliances

In a world where alliances mean the difference between strength and vulnerability, President Donald Trump’s disparaging comments about NATO allies' involvement in Afghanistan have sparked a justified outrage, especially across the Atlantic in the United Kingdom. By suggesting that non-American NATO troops merely “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines,” Trump overlooks a sacrosanct truth: these allies stood shoulder to shoulder with U.S. forces when our nation was attacked on September 11, 2001. Are We Undermining Our Own Security by Questioning Trusted Allies? NATO’s mutual-defense clause, Article 5, was activated for the first—and only—time after the attacks...