{"id":2589846,"date":"2026-04-12T13:38:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T17:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/victor-davis-hanson-breaks-down-why-us-must-rethink-nato-strategy\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T13:39:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T17:39:42","slug":"victor-davis-hanson-breaks-down-why-us-must-rethink-nato-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/victor-davis-hanson-breaks-down-why-us-must-rethink-nato-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Victor Davis Hanson Breaks Down Why US Must Rethink NATO Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvictor-davis-hanson-breaks-down-why-us-must-rethink-nato-strategy%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2589846&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Victor Davis Hanson, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-say-bidens-female-led-comms-is-a-first-trump-has-that-now\/\" title=\"Media Say Biden&#039;s Female-Led Comms Is A First. Trump Has That Now\">senior fellow<\/a> at teh Hoover Institution, argues that the United States cannot continue shouldering NATO\u2019s burdens alone.He says Europe\u2019s weaknesses-such as open borders, demographic trends, and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >energy choices-require redefining<\/a> the U.S.-NATO relationship or pursuing stronger bilateral ties with individual allies. Hanson contends that the U.S. has repeatedly carried the burden in global conflicts (Falklands, Chad, Kosovo, Libya, Ukraine) while European partners avoided direct obligation, a pattern he views as unsustainable. He also notes President Trump\u2019s depiction of NATO as a \u201cpaper tiger\u201d and suggests a reevaluation of alliance commitments and strategy. The piece highlights NATO\u2019s ongoing Kosovo Force and frames these views within a broader critique of European willingness to lead in security affairs, as reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Victor Davis Hanson warned Monday that the United States cannot continue to carry the weight of the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) alone.<\/p>\n<p>President Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/livecoverage\/iran-war-latest-news-updates-2026\/card\/trump-slams-nato-as-paper-tiger--oY7LET6LAEd5iTseP9pg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">escalated<\/a> his rhetoric toward NATO, calling the alliance a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kremlin-insists-us-led-path-to-peace-remains-but-russia-is-not-a-paper-tiger\/\" title=\"Kremlin insists US-led path to peace remains, but Russia is not a &#039;paper tiger&#039;\">paper tiger&#038;rdquo<\/a>; and suggesting the U.S. might no longer need to defend NATO allies. Appearing on &ldquo;The Ingraham Angle,&rdquo; Hanson said the United States must seriously reconsider its approach to NATO, warning that the alliance&rsquo;s current structure and European weaknesses demand a new strategy.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re going to have to redefine or either redefine our relationship with NATO or start looking at individual NATO allies and bilateral relations. And I think it&rsquo;s reflective of deeper, much deeper problems, whether it&rsquo;s their open borders, their large, unassimilated Islamic populations, their coercion of free speech, their infertility and demography that&rsquo;s about 1.3 replacement,&rdquo; Hanson said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They don&rsquo;t have fossil fuels. They don&rsquo;t believe in it. And they have created this self-imposed, I guess you would call it a suicidal weakness.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Hanson recounted a series of U.S. military involvements around the globe, including the Falklands, Chad, Kosovo, Libya, and Ukraine. In each case, he said, the U.S. shouldered logistical, operational, or strategic burdens while European partners avoided direct responsibility.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think we need to clarify what NATO is basically saying. In the case of Spain, particularly in France and Turkey, they were almost siding with Iran. But the other countries that didn&rsquo;t let us, like the U.K. and Italy, as well as those three, they were saying, &lsquo;Well, this wasn&rsquo;t our war,&rsquo; but they don&rsquo;t realize that we got involved in a lot of their unilateral events. Falklands was not our war,&rdquo; Hanson said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We helped the British. They would not have been able to retake the Falklands without U.S. logistical and resupply. Chad wasn&rsquo;t our war. The French wanted to go in there to their post-colonial interest and get out the Islamists. That wasn&rsquo;t our war. Serbia and Kosovo. Kosovo was not a NATO member. It was attacked by Serbia. They told us it was on the doorstep of Europe.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Hanson said the United States has repeatedly carried the burden of global conflicts while NATO allies hesitated or stepped aside.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You had to come in and lead the coalition of NATO power. We did. Then they told us that we have to bomb Gaddafi and restore the momentum of the Arab Spring. That wasn&rsquo;t our war. We came in there. That was a seven-month misadventure. And then they said Ukraine is your war, and we could see that we had interest in stopping Putin, but Ukraine was not a NATO,&rdquo; Hanson added.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;So they engineer a lot of these interventions, and they do it both under the guise of NATO and singularly and unilaterally, like France and the U.K. But then they&rsquo;re telling us it&rsquo;s not your war, even though we know now that these missiles had a 2,500-mile range, and they had enough uranium, apparently, for 11 bombs. And they were an immediate and dire threat that we removed for them, and they can&rsquo;t even repay that reciprocity.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>During the 1982 Falklands War, the United States <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/1982\/0528\/052821.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">provided<\/a> missiles, aviation fuel, satellite communications, and logistical support to Britain after Argentina rejected peace efforts. Reagan administration officials also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.upi.com\/Archives\/1982\/05\/27\/US-selling-missiles-to-Britain\/3668391320000\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">confirmed<\/a> that Washington supplied the U.K. with advanced Sidewinder air&#8209;to&#8209;air missiles and sonar buoys to bolster British combat capabilities during the campaign.<\/p>\n<p>After NATO&rsquo;s air campaign against Yugoslav forces in 1999, the NATO&#8209;led <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/en\/what-we-do\/operations-and-missions\/natos-role-in-kosovo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kosovo Force<\/a> &mdash; which included U.S. and allied troops &mdash; deployed to Kosovo to maintain security, ensure public safety, and support peace&#8209;building efforts in the region.<\/p>\n<p>The ongoing Kosovo Force mission continues to operate under NATO command with forces from multiple allies to help stabilize Kosovo following the humanitarian crisis and conflict in the late 1990s.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-membership-plummets-to-record-low\/\" title=\"Union Membership Plummets to Record Low\">legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, warned that the United States can no longer shoulder NATO alone. President Trump has called the alliance a \u201cpaper tiger\u201d and suggested the U.S. might stop defending its NATO allies. On The Ingraham Angle, Hanson argued that NATO\u2019s current structure and Europe\u2019s weaknesses require a reevaluation of the alliance, possibly redefining the U.S.-NATO relationship or focusing on bilateral ties with individual allies. He attributed Europe\u2019s problems to issues such as open borders, large unassimilated Muslim populations, restrictions on free speech, and a low fertility rate, and claimed Europe lacks commitment to fossil fuels, describing it as a self-imposed, dangerous weakness.<\/p>\n<p>Hanson cited several U.S. military involvements-Falklands, Chad, Kosovo, Libya, and Ukraine-where he says the United States bore logistical, operational, or strategic burdens while European partners avoided direct responsibility. He argued that in various cases some European countries claimed the wars were not theirs even as the U.S. became involved in many of their unilateral actions. He noted that, historically, the U.S. led coalitions of NATO power, such as during the Falklands-era support to Britain and, later, interventions in Kosovo and Libya, while European allies sometimes insisted the conflicts were not their war. He contended that NATO and other allies have often used interventions as if they were their own, even though the United States shouldered much of the cost and risk. The Kosovo Force, under NATO, remains in place to stabilize Kosovo after the late-1990s humanitarian crisis and conflict<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2589847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_7549.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[72925,77630,77629,74259,77628],"class_list":["post-2589846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-defense-policy-2","tag-international-security-2","tag-nato-strategy","tag-us-foreign-policy-2","tag-victor-davis-hanson-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_7549.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2589846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2589846"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2589846\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2589850,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2589846\/revisions\/2589850"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2589847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2589846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2589846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2589846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}