The 75th Anniversary of NATO Summit: Challenges and Uncertainties

As President Biden and his team meticulously planned the 75th anniversary of NATO, set to commence on Tuesday evening in Washington, the primary goal was to exude confidence. The message intended for adversaries like President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was to showcase a larger, more unified group of Western allies, committed to defending against aggression, especially after over two years of conflict in Ukraine.

However, as 38 world leaders began arriving on Monday, confidence seemed to waver. Even before the official start of the summit, concerns arose regarding President Biden’s potential second-term candidacy and the looming specter of former President Donald J. Trump’s return to power.

Notably, Trump’s past statements branding NATO as “obsolete” and his threats to withdraw from the alliance have resurfaced. The possibility of a second Trump term has prompted European allies to ponder the alliance’s future and its ability to confront Russia without robust American support.

President Biden will welcome the leaders at the historic Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, a few blocks from the White House, where the NATO treaty was signed in 1949 under President Harry S. Truman’s watch. Biden, then just 6 years old, witnessed the alliance’s inception during the nascent stages of the Cold War.

Today, at 81, President Biden stands as a staunch advocate for NATO, which has expanded from 12 members in 1949 to 30 today amid resurging superpower rivalries. Nonetheless, as the leaders convene on Tuesday, all eyes are on President Biden, scrutinizing his every action and word, pondering the same question that preoccupies Americans – his ability to lead for another four years.