https://sputnikglobe.com/20260212/erosion-of-us-credibility-in-nato-approaches-critical-threshold--expert-1123625945.html
Erosion of US Credibility in NATO Approaches Critical Threshold – Expert
Erosion of US Credibility in NATO Approaches Critical Threshold – Expert
Sputnik International
Polls show NATO allies are increasingly considering the US unreliable – but that perception does not emerge in a vacuum, says Adriel Kasonta, a London-based foreign affairs analyst.
2026-02-12T15:41+0000
2026-02-12T15:41+0000
2026-02-12T15:41+0000
analysis
opinion
washington
london
eastern europe
nato
donald trump
europe
united kingdom (uk)
canada
https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/02/1a/1117001495_0:0:3208:1805_1920x0_80_0_0_dd617735d08e0cdd22f9f15f94009d75.jpg
"It is the cumulative effect of a decade of strategic whiplash," Kasonta tells Sputnik. "From European and Canadian vantage points, Washington’s foreign policy has appeared less like a steady hand on the tiller and more like a pendulum." Three dynamics stand out: Recent Sharp Decline in Trust While a similar poll in 2025 reflected similar concerns, this year's findings show an even sharper decline in trust. Kasonta outlines two major causes for the slide:
https://sputnikglobe.com/20260211/brics-sco-operate-by-consensus-nato-decisions-made-when-us-says-hush---lavrov-1123619387.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20260211/us-pivoting-from-europe-to-indo-pacific-nato-chief-1123621694.html
washington
london
eastern europe
united kingdom (uk)
canada
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
2026
News
en_EN
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
top nato allies losing trust in the us, us politics raises concerns in nato, washington's faltering aid to kiev, us domestic pressures, nato is on the ropes, ukraine conflict
top nato allies losing trust in the us, us politics raises concerns in nato, washington's faltering aid to kiev, us domestic pressures, nato is on the ropes, ukraine conflict
Erosion of US Credibility in NATO Approaches Critical Threshold – Expert
Polls show NATO allies are increasingly considering the US unreliable – but that perception does not emerge in a vacuum, says Adriel Kasonta, a London-based foreign affairs analyst.
"It is the cumulative effect of a decade of strategic whiplash," Kasonta tells Sputnik. "From European and Canadian vantage points, Washington’s foreign policy has appeared less like a steady hand on the tiller and more like a pendulum."
Three dynamics stand out:
The oscillation between US administrations has been stark: One praised alliances as sacred; the next questioned
NATO’s value. Even when policy — like Eastern Europe troop deployments — remained consistent, the rhetoric unsettled allies: in security politics, tone shapes deterrence
The US strategic
pivot to Asia has been seen as downgrading Europe. The Indo-Pacific is now Washington’s primary theater. That fuels European anxiety that they are no longer central to America's grand strategy
US domestic polarization has undermined confidence in continuity. Allies now judge not just one administration’s intentions but whether commitments will survive the next election
Recent Sharp Decline in Trust
While a similar poll in 2025 reflected similar concerns, this year's findings show an even sharper decline in trust.
Kasonta outlines two major causes for the slide:
The
Ukraine conflict has stress-tested the alliance: US support for the Kiev regime faltered under domestic political pressure. What if the same could happen to Washington's obligations to its NATO allies?
Explicit political rhetoric questioning article 5 — the alliance’s collective defense clause — has crossed a psychological Rubicon
"Allies are preparing for a future in which American engagement is selective and contingent," Kasonta says. "The erosion is less about a single event and more about cumulative uncertainty reaching a tipping point."
