00:00Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE
00:01Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE
00:02Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE
00:06U.S. President Donald Trump
00:08has ramped up his harsh criticism
00:10of NATO in recent weeks
00:12against the backdrop of the war in Iran,
00:14going as far as threatening
00:15to pull out of the alliance after
00:17European countries and other Western partners
00:20refused to actively take part.
00:22Trump called the alliance a paper tiger
00:24after NATO countries didn't
00:26respond to his calls to assemble
00:27a naval force to help reopen the
00:29Strait of Hormuz. Trump's comments
00:31have sparked confusion online as to
00:33how a country can launch the process to
00:35leave the alliance. So what do the rules
00:37actually say? Article 13 of the
00:391949 North Atlantic Treaty
00:41says that to leave, a country needs
00:43to formally notify the U.S.,
00:45which then lets all the other members know
00:47it will then officially withdraw a year later.
00:49So, it seems straightforward enough
00:51for European countries and Canada,
00:53subject to their own domestic laws and processes,
00:55for how could the U.S. quit the alliance?
00:58Under the North Atlantic Treaty,
00:59the U.S. acts as both a member
01:01and the depository of the alliance,
01:03meaning that it manages the treaty texts
01:05and handles accession and withdrawal notifications.
01:08Essentially, the U.S. government
01:10would have to notify the U.S. Department of State
01:12of its intention to withdraw.
01:14It would then fulfill its usual obligation
01:16of letting all the other members know.
01:18In theory, the U.S. could remain NATO's depository
01:21without being a member, but the remaining countries
01:24would likely vote through an amendment to the treaty
01:26to give those duties to someone else.
01:28In 2023, then-President Joe Biden signed legislation
01:32blocking a president from quitting the alliance
01:34unless they're backed by a two-thirds majority in the Senate.
01:37Nevertheless, even without an official exit,
01:40some commentators have warned that the U.S. could instead
01:43apply further pressure on NATO,
01:45such as restricting its military exercises
01:47and refusing to honor the Mutual Defense Clause,
01:50fundamentally damaging the way the alliance works.
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