France, the United Kingdom, and several other European countries sent troops to Greenland this week in an attempt to ward off an American takeover of the island, which is part of NATO territory. Their actions reflect a new reality that Philip Gordon and Mara Karlin described in our most recent issue: “The days when allies could rely on the United States to uphold world order are over.” Even though the risk that Washington could abdicate its traditional role has been growing for years, they wrote, “most U.S. allies have never truly prepared” for the possibility. Watching in real time as American partners scramble to adjust, I’ve found myself referring to Gordon and Karlin’s compelling essay—both for its explanation of why so many countries failed to come up with a Plan B, and for its proposals about what they should start doing now.
Until next week, |
