Mandy Duncan

Ok. Here we go Ari, you know better than this. You’ve been inside the room. You understand how alliances actually function, not just how they’re talked about on cable hits. NATO was never meaningfully consulted here. Not brought in as partners. Not treated as allies whose buy-in mattered. Instead, for years they’ve been publicly dressed down, threatened, and told outright that they’re on their own. When the President of the United States repeatedly questions the value of the alliance, floats walking away from Article 5, and even talks about things like taking Greenland, you don’t get trust—you get hedging. So now there’s a major war raging on their own continent, and those countries are being asked to stretch even thinner for an operation they had no role in shaping, led by a president who has made clear he views alliances as transactional at best and disposable at worst. Of course they’re cautious. Of course they’re calculating risk. And yes—of course they’re worried they’ll be left holding the bag when Trump inevitably changes course or loses interest. That’s not freeloading. That’s rational behavior in response to uncertainty we created. You’re right that some European countries have underinvested in defense. That’s been true for years, and many have started correcting it—especially since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But let’s not pretend this moment exists in a vacuum. Trust is cumulative. And it’s been burned down repeatedly. And the idea that this is about “refusing to help the U.S. rid the world of Iran” ignores the bigger strategic picture. European nations are dealing with an active land war, energy insecurity, domestic political strain, and the very real possibility that U.S. commitments to NATO could evaporate overnight. You don’t expand commitments under those conditions—you consolidate. You know this, Ari. And I think you know why this argument doesn’t hold up. But somewhere along the way, you traded that understanding for applause lines. You’ve sold yourself at the altar of popularity instead of leveling with people about the complexity here. Alliances aren’t maintained by ultimatums and public humiliation. They’re maintained by trust, consultation, and consistency. We’ve offered too little of that lately—and now we’re seeing the result.