Brian Nichols is a sophomore accounting major and writes for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Brian at bnichols@bsu.edu.
Throughout the presidential election, the current President-Elect Donald Trump has promised many changes to, in turn, “make America great again.” One promise in particular, which now manifests itself within Trump’s foreign policy, is reducing the United States’ involvement and funding within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The question now remains: should the American people support Trump’s decision to reduce NATO’s protection around the world?
Economically, the answer is a residing yes. Trump’s policies concerning NATO will cause intended consequences, revised incentives, and unintended consequences that make up an economical breakdown of the effectiveness of his foreign policy.
During the first 2016 presidential debate, Trump approximated that 73% of NATO’s costs are covered by the US. By distributing this cost over more, smaller countries in NATO, Trump aims to lower the spending costs of supporting NATO.
The intended consequences behind Trump’s foreign policy is that he aims to decrease the national debt, increase gross domestic product (GDP) and increase military spending with the financial savings. Trump intends to cut back on the federal budget spending and attempts to reduce the ever-growing national debt.
He has promised to create jobs in America, and the money spent supporting NATO would be used to create new jobs, thus increasing GDP. He has promised to increase the military spending.
Trump would rather spend his finances on protecting America from the current threat, terrorism. He aims to accomplish the war on terror through an enlargement of terror specific departments within the military.
Throughout Trump’s foreign policy, he explains that there is very little incentive to continue supporting NATO as much as America is currently.
“NATO could be obsolete, because they do not focus on terror…I'm all for NATO. They have to focus on terror also,” Trump said during the first presidential debate.
Trump is more incentivized to use taxpayer dollars to support the US’s military spending rather then fund NATO, whose political views on terrorism differ.
Trump explains that America can’t be the “policeman of the world.” There is no economical advantage from being the primary protected of the countries falling under NATO.
Trump is planning on only defending countries that pay their fair share of NATO’s costs.
“[Trump] believes that the US is getting ripped off and that some NATO members are getting an unfair free ride,”said CNN’s reporter Ivana Kottasova.
Trump’s policy to reduce funding for NATO would carry plenty of unexpected consequences upon the world as a whole. This funding would need to be paid by various countries in the stead of America. There would be disagreement toward which countries should pay more to compensate. Also, this could also spell the end of NATO as a whole.
Mark Urban, diplomatic and defense editor for the Newsnight paper, fears that America could create a domino effect of countries pulling out of NATO. This could create an unstable Europe, if not handled appropriately. If Europe faces this conflict, the euro will diminish in value. Uncertainty will cause the American dollar to increase in value in place of the euro.
It is important that the American people support Trump’s decisions concerning foreign policy. America must unify behind Trump because of the economical advantages of lowering activates within NATO. America must focus its fight against terror and prepare for potential conflicts in the future.
The newest threat that NATO must combat is the spread of ideas, rather than warring countries. America must prepare itself for this threat if NATO won’t take it seriously.
Trump will create economical progress in our economy, create jobs and create safety for the American people through the reduced activities within NATO. The American people must now wait and demand for the economical results of what Trump has promised us. We will hold him to his word through our votes in the next presidential election.
Trump will be entering office this upcoming January. It is important for the American people to understand Trump’s position toward his foreign policy. More specifically, understanding America’s new position toward NATO through Trump’s administration is critical for the American people.
Economically, lowering America’s costs of supporting NATO will strengthen the economy through intended consequences, incentives and unintended consequences.
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