The Progressive American

Rep. Greene is at it again with her isolationist nonsense

Amidst one of the largest military conflicts to plague Europe since World War 2, one would reasonably hope for wise and controlled leadership. Unfortunately, some of our leaders in the GOP have demonstrated that no such wisdom is present, and one of the best examples of this is Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). Who, in a perfect encapsulation of her uselessness, attached an amendment to a bill for Ukrainian aid that would require President Biden to withdraw from NATO. The move by Rep. Greene is yet another example of her pointless and unending attempts to control foreign policy, of which she knows nothing. 

Absurdity and Ignorance

Rep. Greene is not new to making absurd arguments, both when it comes to foreign policy and when it comes to politics in general. Infamously, she claimed that the California forest fires in 2018 were the product of space lasers involving the Rothschilds, prompting many to refer to her conspiracy theory as “Jewish Space Lasers.” Greene is not fond of being questioned about this. 

However, it is not merely the crazy postings of Greene’s past that are important here. Greene has repeatedly called for the United States’ exit from NATO and for that ridiculous position to be implemented. In July of last year, Greene argued that the United States should leave NATO because, according to her, it is not a “reliable partner” and that NATO wasn’t paying its fair share of the alliance’s defense spending. 

This argument largely rests on an ongoing complaint by former President Trump, who has criticized NATO members for not contributing 2 percent of their GDP to their defense, and on one occasion, he insisted that he would let Russia “…do whatever the hell they want,” to NATO members unless NATO pays for the protection. It is worth noting that Trump’s understanding of NATO’s spending is, at best, akin to a shakedown and, at worst, is downright incoherent. 

The NATO goal of having its members pay 2 percent of their GDP towards their defense is far more complicated than Trump and Greene acknowledge. Firstly, the goal is aspirational and optional for membership in the alliance. Nothing in the NATO Charter, which we signed and ratified in 1949, requires that a nation meet that goal. No legal requirement exists for a nation to spend 2 percent of its GDP on defense. Furthermore, the payments are not made to the United States but are part of each nation’s spending budget. When Trump says that a nation has to pay for protection, he is fundamentally misunderstanding or willfully disregarding the facts of how NATO funds itself. I wouldn’t be surprised if Greene were making the same error. 

Finally, while most NATO members don’t meet this threshold, they are improving. In 2023, 11 members met that threshold, and NATO expects that 18 members will meet this goal this year. The simple reality is that NATO members are working to achieve this goal and are under no obligation to do so simply because Trump thinks NATO members owe him money. Removing the U.S. from such an important alliance on such a ridiculous basis would not only undermine America’s reputation on the world stage, it would be disastrous to global stability. 

Why America Needs to Stay in NATO

While it may sound as though I am arguing for simply maintaining the status quo, that is not the case. NATO’s presence and continued existence are influenced by changing factors as much as any other organization on Earth and deserve to be treated with proper care and consideration. What Rep. Greene and former President Donald Trump are putting forward is a position of isolationism based on false pretenses and grievances. 

Currently, Ukraine is facing a major conflict, the likes of which hasn’t struck Europe since World War 2, and it is the responsibility of every public servant in our government to be able to respond accordingly where they are able. NATO serves as a check on the threat of Russian aggression, which has been a constant problem for the last several decades, even if members of Congress and former presidents are unwilling to admit it. Staying in NATO means supporting a flawed but improving alliance that ensures a stronger and more deliberative force checks Russian aggression. 

And make no mistake, Russian aggression is a problem. Whether it is its illegal invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014 or its invasion of Georgia in 2008, Russia has consistently demonstrated that it is willing and able to violate the sovereignty of nations that it deems beneath it. If we are to have a safer and more stable world, it starts with opposing and containing Russian aggression. So long as Greene and Trump’s view of foreign policy remains, that goal will remain impossible. 

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References

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