The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is the U.S.-led military alliance created in 1949. Is it obsolete? Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump says yes. He says NATO should be reconfigured to address the realities of today’s terrorist threats.
He may have a point.
After the terrorist attacks on Americans in Benghazi, Libya in 2012, Congress asked the U.S. military if it ever thought to call upon help from NATO, which has tremendous resources in the region, during the attacks. In fact, a U.S. general leads NATO as Supreme Allied Commander. But the U.S. military said there would have been no point calling upon NATO because it would not have helped. If NATO is an alliance of members that agree to mutual protection, then why can’t they respond to help Americans under terrorist attack?
Trump also questions why the U.S. bears such a large burden of NATO’s cost: upwards of $600 billion or 73% of the so-called indirect funding.
Sunday on Full Measure, we’ll talk to Trump about all of this. Also, Scott Thuman reports from the border of Estonia and Russia where U.S. NATO troops are currently on assignment. Why are they there and what do they think?
We’ll also break down the Panama Papers with the head of the consortium of international journalists that broke the story. What’s it all about and why are the Panama Papers rattling politicians and leaders around the world?
Last week on Full Measure, we saw what lies beneath the southern border with Mexico in Tunnel Vision.
Full Measure is broadcast to 43 million U.S. households Sunday mornings on Sinclair TV stations. It can also be seen Sundays livestream at 9:30a EST at FullMeasure.news, and replays there anytime.
