Yossi Schwartz ISL (RCIT section in Israel/Occupied Palestine) 02.04.2026
NATO, the alliance of the North Atlantic was formed in 1949 during the first cold war against Stalinist Russia. When the USSR collapsed, the US became the only super power and NATO served the empire. However, we live now at a time of the decline of the US. In this period Trump, who never needs an excuse to belittle NATO, has stated that the alliance ‘faces a very bad future’ if its members do not help the US reopen the Straits of Hormuz, shuttered by Iran. A week ago, the UK along with nineteen NATO allies plus Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea expressed their ‘readiness to contribute to the efforts to open the Strait, but nothing came out of it. Now Trump declares that it is the job of only Europe to open the strait.
The tension between US imperialism and imperialist Western Europe reflects the decline of the American Empire that was until some years ago the only super power and controlled Europe for one hundred years which reflected the uneven and combined developed even among the imperialists.
Individual allies have been unwilling to join the US-Israeli war against Iran, but bases in several countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Portugal have been used to help the US military in a complicated war, in which Iran is winning, if we judge by the aims of the war rather than by the level of death and destruction.
At first only Spain refused the US access to its bases. Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez has publicly condemned the ‘illegal’ war. Even Trump’s supporters – the governments of Italy, Hungary and Slovakia – have questioned the wisdom of the American campaign. And now we hear that Trump is upset with France for not allowing an American plan loaded with ammunition for Israel to fly over its territory. In response Israel is boycotting the French military industry.
The crisis of NATO became clear when Trump announced that he wants Greenland and Canada.
On Iran, as well as with Greenland, NATO is divided between the United States and the rest. This could well feed an ongoing anger in the Trump administration against Europe that used to serve the US. Trump and his fellow NATO non lovers, Vice-President J.D. Vance and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth could turn against the alliance at any moment. NATO’s next summit which is scheduled for July in Ankara could be a meeting of clashes By July, the war will either be over and a false victory is declared by the Trump administration, or will have entrapped the American military in an unwinnable long war that will end like in Afghanistan. Either outcome will deepen the crisis of the transatlantic alliance. A self-defined victory would propel Trump toward further destructive acts of adventure. Failure, meanwhile, could have very similar results, as Trump will choose new targets to compensate for the Iranian failure and criticizes allies to deflect blame for his own failure.
NATO itself is becoming more European. A change in America’s support. British, Italian and German are getting the commanding positions. US commanders will retain NATO’s tactical land and air commands. The US is not rushing for the exit. However, the change is aimed at greater European responsibility to defend themselves against Russian imperialism, and also at the growing struggles against capitalism.
In the EU there is a possibility that the ruling classes will drum the slogans for democracy to differentiate themselves from the Bonapartist regime of Trump, and open the door for the reformists and the centrists to join popular front governments to stop the rising class struggle. We could see this possibility in the last demonstration against racism in London where the main slogans were peace and love.
Netanyahu understands that Israel by itself cannot fight Iran and he is preparing the Israelis to believe that Israel won even when the regime in Iran is living and kicking and to blame the mass media.
Netanyahu spoke Tuesday evening in a recorded statement to the media, without questions from journalists. In the spirit of the Passover holiday, his speech focused on the 10 plagues that Israel has inflicted on its enemies – and referred to Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran. Referring to the campaign against Iran, he said, “They are systematically crushing the regime of terror.” Netanyahu also did not spare criticism from the Israeli media, which he claimed “does not raise national morale.”
In the real world the Israeli mass media is a tool of pro war propaganda.