NATO's 75th Anniversary: Fears and Hopes Regarding the Future of American Leadership

The three-day NATO summit, coinciding with the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the signing of this military pact, concludes on July 21 amid growing doubts about the role of the United States in the future of this military alliance. Less than two weeks after the first electoral debate with Donald Trump, Joe Biden hosts the leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Washington and continues to strive to prove that he has the necessary capability to defeat his Republican rival in the upcoming presidential election in November. The question arises whether his efforts during this period, especially in the two days since the NATO summit, have managed to alleviate the concerns of his supporters and Democratic Party backers. Unlike his electoral rival Trump, who speaks of the 'America First' idea, Biden has once again emphasized the importance of collective cooperation among allies to confront the common dangers facing NATO member countries at the current NATO meeting. He described the support of the United States and its allies for Ukraine as 'unwavering' and stated, 'This needs to be conveyed to Putin.' The 81-year-old President of the United States, in part of his remarks directed at Western allies, said, 'Ukraine can and will be able to stop Putin, especially with our collective cooperation. They will have our full support.' Despite ongoing concerns among some Democrats about Biden's performance in the first electoral debate, he sought to decisively address doubts about his ability to serve another four-year term in the White House during his opening speech at the NATO summit. In the ceremony commemorating NATO's 75th anniversary, he awarded the 'Medal of Freedom' to Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary-General of the organization. The reactions over the past two days indicate that opposition voices regarding Biden's political presence in the future of the country are louder than before; now more media outlets, politicians, prominent figures, and financial supporters of the Democratic Party are calling for Biden to withdraw from the upcoming presidential election. Biden's response to calls for withdrawal: 'I am not going anywhere.' Although these requests have so far been futile, Biden has repeatedly emphasized that he does not intend to vacate the field. The 81-year-old President of the United States insists on the necessity of continuing his presence in the upcoming electoral competition, despite distractions and his disjointed speech, particularly during the first debate with Trump, which has seriously fueled concerns about his capabilities to continue leading the United States. Nevertheless, Biden is trying to resist all these requests and still considers himself a suitable candidate to compete with Trump. He also adopted relatively tougher positions against Russia and Putin to convince his NATO allies. Biden stated, 'We are leveraging global capacity to demonstrate our leadership ability.' As the United States approaches the presidential election, many believe that the outcome could significantly impact the future dynamics of NATO, including a notable effect on the dynamics of the war in Ukraine and the confrontation with Russia's military aggression. It seems that Biden is pursuing both domestic and foreign agendas at the current meeting; although he has presented a clear image of his and his administration's policies regarding the threats from Russia, there is no certainty that the world will witness the current President in the White House next year. If Biden wins, given the intensification of criticisms against him and the discussions currently raised about his capabilities, both from domestic allies and foreign partners, it could harm his position and that of the United States in NATO. More concerning for NATO members could be Trump's victory in the November elections; he had previously threatened European countries that if they did not increase their military spending, Washington would not only fail to defend them against a potential Russian attack but would also encourage Putin to 'do whatever he wants to European countries.' Concurrently with the three-day summit in Washington, Putin, in a meeting with Narendra Modi, the leader of India, has sought to remind his Western rivals that despite sanctions, he can continue his trade relations with a powerful country like India. Therefore, in one of the most hopeful yet fearful meetings in NATO's 75-year history, the leaders of member countries have come together, but they are all worried that whether with Biden or Trump, the ability to unify in this transatlantic alliance may be harmed. These concerns have reached a level where Volodymyr Zelensky, the leader of Ukraine, who traveled to Washington to participate in a separate event, expressed worry about the potential exit of the United States from this military alliance in the future. He stated, 'I really hope that the United States never leaves NATO; otherwise, the world will lose many countries.' Mr. Zelensky added that both Biden and Trump are 'defenders of democracy,' and for this reason, in his view, Putin 'hates' both of these American politicians.