• Russia’s main strategy to deter NATO is to encourage splits that will paralyze the alliance’s ability to respond to aggression in a unified way.
• NATO only works as long as all its 29 countries remain continuously on board with “Article 5,” the promise that they will automatically fight if any of them are attacked. 
• This week, Trump said Article 5 was merely a “question.”
• Trump has also driven Turkey into a compromising arms deal with Russia.
• The US president is so toxic that, internally, NATO officials regard him as a security risk.
• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is afraid to be seen with him.
• These splits are exactly what Vladimir Putin wants. 

Russia is not a member of NATO, obviously, and thus Vladimir Putin is not present at the NATO meeting in London on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

Nonetheless, the Russian leader got pretty much exactly what he needed from the meeting, thanks in large part to US President Donald Trump.

The context here is “Article 5,” the fundamental guiding principle that underpins the US-Europe military alliance, and its role in deterring military […]