New troublemakers emerge

SO MUCH TALKNATONATONATONATO of “crisis” has surrounded ’s 70th-birthday year that it has been easy to forget there are reasons to celebrate. Not only has the alliance proved remarkably durable by historical standards, but since 2014 it has responded aptly to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, refocusing on its core mission of collective defence. It has deployed multinational battlegroups into the three Baltic states and Poland and committed to improved readiness. Goaded by criticism from President Donald Trump, its members have raised their spending on defence. Though many countries, notably Germany, still fall short of their promises, now estimates that between 2016 and 2020 its European members and Canada will shell out an extra $130bn.This new money helps explain one welcome development at the meeting of leaders in Britain this week. Mr Trump, previously the disrupter-in-chief, who used to call the organisation “obsolete” and caused consternation at a summit in Brussels in 2018 by threatening to withdraw if Europeans failed to take on a fairer share of the burden, has—however briefly—become a defender. In London this week he blasted President Emmanuel Macron’s criticism of the alliance as “nasty” and “disrespectful”. He made no sign of blocking stern words on Russia or the reiteration of Article Five of ’s treaty, the cornerstone of the alliance. America’s commitment will be on display next year, when some 20,000 of its troops are to practise reinforcing Europe in an exercise called Defender 2020.