The NATO summit opens in Ankara on Tuesday and Wednesday with the alliance confronting what Chinese foreign policy analysts characterize as a fundamental identity crisis. According to Dong Yifan, an associate research fellow at the Belt and Road Academy of Beijing Language and Culture University, writing in Global Times, Washington’s unilateral “America First” orientation has deepened transatlantic rifts to the point where NATO’s core function is now in question.
Disputes over Greenland and divergent approaches to Middle East conflicts have created structural challenges to NATO’s traditional role as a coordinator of transatlantic security interests. Expectations for the Ankara summit have been deliberately lowered. As Dong notes, European diplomats are privately hoping for “a dull NATO summit” precisely to avoid further diplomatic ruptures. The US president recently reinforced these concerns by declaring that continuing the alliance’s “one-sided path” would be “ridiculous,” confirming his attendance only “out of respect” for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
European nations have adopted a strategy of cautious accommodation, seeking to preserve alliance mechanisms while managing Washington’s frustrations. At last month’s G7 summit, European leaders fostered warmer diplomatic atmospheres and demonstrated proactive engagement on the Strait of Hormuz crisis, attempting to persuade Washington to adjust its position on Ukraine and resume support for Kyiv.
Dong argues that Washington’s approach to NATO has become increasingly transactional. The US continues demanding greater European defense spending while linking those expenditures to American security guarantees. Following the US-Israel-Iran conflict, Washington has used European support for military operations and naval escorts in the Strait of Hormuz as loyalty tests, effectively pressuring NATO into becoming entangled in conflicts beyond its traditional mandate.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and President Erdoğan have both emphasized that preserving alliance unity represents the summit’s paramount objective. This emphasis reveals that concepts once fundamental to NATO—shared values and collective defense—have become “something of a luxury,” according to Dong. The alliance’s focus has shifted from jointly responding to external threats to preventing internal division and uncertainty.
Looking ahead, Dong warns that transatlantic relations may depend increasingly on direct interest exchanges while trust rooted in shared Western identity becomes more fragile. Europe’s pursuit of “strategic autonomy” faces significant technical obstacles, particularly its dependence on US military technology. The Greenland dispute further illustrates that Washington may challenge European sovereignty itself, while US criticism of Europe’s Middle East positions suggests Washington expects alliance partners to serve as subordinate instruments of American strategic interests.
For European leaders gathering in Ankara, avoiding open rupture may represent the most realistic measure of success.
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