Given the clear threat posed by Russia, some increase in European defense spending is clearly warranted. However, many European countries are suffering economic stress, partly caused by President Trump’s tariffs. It is clearly impossible that his commitment to spend 5 percent Major national defense requirements of GDP will be met anytime.
Only Spain has been honest about this and this has angered the US President.
trump called spain A “stalker” and has threatened to “kick them out of NATO.” Recently, he has vowed to punish Spain imposing additional tariffs On Spanish exports.
If the goal here is to strengthen the ability of European countries to thwart a potential Russian threat, this is a very strange way to go about it. In his first term, Trump pushed NATO countries to spend 3 percent of GDP on defense, which is more than 2 percent target First determined by President Barack Obama.
America paid itself 3.4 percent in 2024It clearly dominates NATO in gross defense expenditure. European countries are now Buying American Arms – Not for ourselves, but to supply Ukraine. This will help Ukraine, but it will not strengthen the military preparedness of our NATO allies.
Trump’s attacks on Spain ignore the country’s recent history and the fragility of its democratic institutions. I was a diplomat in Spain during the Franco era and later studied the transition to democracy for the US Senate as it was considering whether to elevate the military base agreement with Spain to treaty level.
Challenges also included the army’s short-sighted domestic mission, for example maintaining autocratic control over the Spanish people. In this they were aided and abetted by the Guardia Civil, a national police force that was anything but civilian.
He had a full hand in dealing with the rebels in the Basque Country and Catalonia. terrorist act Sadly, this was common.
After Franco’s death in 1975, some of his ministers worked with Crown Prince Juan Carlos to create a democratic monarchy. When I arrived back in Spain in January 1975, progress was being made. Political parties were being formed and preparations were going on for democratic elections.
Juan Carlos befriended key military leaders, and many generals who were not trusted were reassigned to remote posts. However, this was not enough. On February 1, 1981, as the Parliament (Cortez) was being constituted for the New Year, some men from the army attempted coup,
The next day, at the request of his Prime Minister, King Juan Carlos appeared on national television. Dressed in his Captain General’s uniform, he ordered the army to stand down. Surprisingly he obeyed.
The Spanish army and Guardia Civil remained a threat to the new democracy, as well as the aspirations for independence of both provinces. Since then extraordinary efforts have been made to keep these territories within Spain.
The army has gradually moved away from its domestic orientation towards external NATO missions. Meanwhile, the Guardia has become a traditional crime-fighting organization.
Yet, given its reliance on multiple regional parties, the government of President Pedro Sánchez is inherently unstable. according to Economist Intelligence Country Assessment “The risk of policy paralysis and government collapse before his term ends in 2027 is very high.”
If the social safety net is weakened by shifting resources to defence, there will be public agitation. While the economic growth rate isslightly above the European averageIt is unlikely to maintain that rate of growth.
The strategic objective of the US administration should be to strengthen the NATO alliance and enhance its ability to deter Russia. On the other hand, Vladimir Putin is trying his best to weaken the EU and NATO. He floods Europe with propaganda, attacks its infrastructure, supports right-wing parties and compromises electoral systems.
There is no point pressuring a fragile democracy like Spain by reducing their ability to contribute to NATO. The same is true of other NATO countries facing serious economic challenges.
Trump’s attacks against the only European nation honest about its position are self-defeating. If he were even slightly familiar with modern Spanish history, he would recognize that he was contributing to Putin’s strategy, not ours.
J. Brian Atwood is a Senior Fellow at the Watson School of International and Public Affairs at Brown University. He was a Foreign Service officer in Spain from 1970 to 1972, and later served as Assistant Secretary of State, Under Secretary of State for Management, and Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
