NATO was founded in 1949 by the United States and 11 other Western nations to confront the Soviet Union and the rise of communism in Europe. Far from the North Atlantic, NATO has fought alongside the United States in Afghanistan since 2001, and attacked Libya in 2011, leaving behind a failed state and triggering a massive refugee crisis. But they’re not—since no other country has the offensive war machine it would need to invade the United States. Ironically, some states will reach the NATO target without raising their military spending because COVID has shrunk their GDPs, but NATO members struggling economically are unlikely to prioritize military spending. While the United States and NATO see Russia and China primarily as threats, European businesses view them as key partners.

Source: Libya Today February 23, 2021 16:07 UTC