What is the point of NATO?

Donald Trump accuses Canada of being a free rider. But the real story is that, in practical terms, NATO does not mean much to Canadians. They prefer their governments to spend money on things that do—which is why successive Conservative and Liberal governments have been so miserly when it comes to defence.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade and courtesy of Gage Skidmore

Opinion

BY THOMAS WALKOM

July 9, 2018

TORONTO—Donald Trump says too many NATO countries, including Canada, don’t pay their fair share of defence costs. The U.S. president is right about that. But the real question facing the 29-member alliance is far more fundamental. What is the point of NATO these days? In 1949, when the then 12...

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