A nation must think before it acts.
We already have a narrative in place for how the Brussels NATO summit will unfold this week: The conclave is slated to be an acrimonious failure as President Donald Trump clashes with America’s European allies over defense spending, and European leaders continue to seethe that a U.S. president invoked a threat to national security in order to impose tariffs on their goods and services in the American market.
This concern is augmented by the fact that Trump next week will jet to Helsinki for a face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin, raising concerns that, in a private tete-a-tete, the two leaders will conduct a 21st century version of Yalta, unrolling maps to delineate spheres of influence in Europe and the Middle East.