CENTRAL NEWS
In an interview with the Economist, French president Emmanuel Macron evaluated American and Turkish moves in Syria as confirmation that “NATO is experiencing brain death.”
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,” Macron stated. Europe stands on “the edge of a precipice, and needs to start thinking of itself strategically as a geopolitical power; otherwise, we will no longer be in control of our destiny.”
During the interview, the president argues that it is high time for Europe to “wake up”.
Article 5
When asked whether he believed in the effectiveness of Article Five, “I don’t know,” replied the French President, “but what will Article Five mean tomorrow?”
The key section of the North Atlantic Treaty is Article 5, the commitment clause, which describes situations in which the terms of the alliance come into play, such as one member nation being attacked by a non-ally. It commits each member state to consider an armed attack against one member state, in Europe or North America, to be an armed attack against them all.
Macron says, “only works if the guarantor of last resort functions as such. I’d argue that we should reassess the reality of what NATO is in light of the commitment of the United States.” And America, in his view, shows signs of “turning its back on us,” as it demonstrated starkly with its unexpected troop withdrawal from north-eastern Syria last month, forsaking its Kurdish allies.
In Donald Trump, Europe is now dealing for the first time with an American president who “doesn’t share our idea of the European project”, Mr Macron says. This is happening when Europe is confronted by the rise of China and the authoritarian turn of regimes in Russia and Turkey. Moreover, Europe is being weakened from within by Brexit and political instability.
Turkey cross-border offensive
Macron was one of several European leaders who harshly criticised Ankara for launching a military offensive in northern Syria last month against Kurdish militias which formed the backbone of the U.S.-led coalition forces fighting against the Islamic State (ISIS).
“You have an uncoordinated aggressive action by another NATO ally, Turkey, in an area where our interests are at stake. There has been no NATO planning, nor any coordination,” the French president said.
“If the Bashar al-Assad regime decides to retaliate against Turkey, will we commit ourselves under (Article 5)?” Macron asked.
Both U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw troops in northern Syria and the Turkish offensive meant sacrificing the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which spearheaded the ground offensives against ISIS, Macron said.
