Michael Taube: If Canada Truly Believes in NATO, the Government Must Meet Its Spending Target

From left, Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japan's Prime Minster Fumio Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Council President Charles Michel, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at an event to announce a Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine during the NATO Summit, in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 12, 2023. Susan Walsh/AP Photo

Commentary

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was founded in 1949. This alliance of member states, most of them based in Europe, established a collective security system to protect against possible outside threats. During the Cold War, the biggest concern was the Soviet Union and its allies. Since the Iron Curtain’s collapse, NATO has shifted its focus to political and military efforts in countries like Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan.