America Was Always NATO’s Biggest Strength and Its Greatest Weakness

Donald Trump’s second term has shattered the illusion of NATO’s stability. Within weeks, U.S. policy reversals and backroom diplomacy have exposed a fundamental truth: NATO’s defense framework was always fragile, built on the assumption of unwavering American commitment. But that commitment was never guaranteed.

In this episode, Joan Westenberg dissects how NATO’s reliance on U.S. leadership left Europe vulnerable, why the alliance’s core deterrence mechanisms were never as strong as they seemed, and what happens now as European leaders scramble to rethink security without Washington at the center.

Can NATO survive without America’s full backing? Or is this the beginning of a new, fractured era of European defense?

Listen now.

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The Index podcast cuts through the noise of tech journalism to investigate how digital power really works. Each week, we decode the hidden dynamics reshaping society - from the AI revolution to the silent wars for control of the internet's future.