" Even talking about the US formally leaving or just slowly disengaging sends a very dangerous signal to Moscow," Council Distinguished Nonresident Fellow Ambassador Julianne Smith said of President Trump's remarks about withdrawing from NATO.
Targeting Iran's public utilities would constitute a war crime, Council Senior Nonresident Fellow Paul Poast tells NBC 5 Chicago. "There's supposed to be distinction between military and civilian [targets]."
"This is an intervention, a war, a conflict that the US began," says Council Distinguished Nonresident Fellow Ambassador Julianne Smith. "It did not take any information about this intervention to the NATO allies to warn them that there could be asks coming from the United States."
Thinking about Pakistan as a South Asian power misses the fact that it has regional connections to the Middle East—and global power connections it can leverage.
"This is a very deeply unpopular war," Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri says of the widening Iran conflict. "If we see boots on the ground, if we see high-risk operations undertaken, I think that will really galvanize Congress and the American public."
"Military morale, alliances, and Washington’s global standing are all at stake in how Trump navigates the bind," Council Lester Crown Senior Nonresident Fellow Suzanne Nossel writes.
"Europe is clearly not happy. It's not a war that they were consulted about. It's not a war that they've chosen," says Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri.
"It really puts Europe in a difficult position. On the one hand, they're frustrated that they've been left out in the cold for this entire operation," says Council Distinguished Nonresident Fellow Julianne Smith. "On the other hand, . . . they're also recognizing that they need the strait to be open."
