NATO celebrates 70th birthday, ponders uncertain future

Every child knows if he is attacked by a bully in a schoolyard it helps to have buddies alongside him. All the more so for nation states: Military allies make attacks less likely and alliances of democracies strengthen their hands against despots.

Yet President Donald Trump repeatedly displays his scorn for NATO, the transatlantic military alliance that has kept the peace in Europe since World War II ended.

NATO will mark its 70th anniversary in Washington on April 4, but onetime plans to make it a celebratory summit were downgraded to a low-key gathering of foreign ministers for fear Trump would harangue the party.

So, rather than pop corks, the ministers have an unwritten item on their agenda: Not only must they adapt NATO to new challenges from Russia, China, and technology, but they need to figure out how to survive Trump.

Read the full article and more in the Philadelphia Inquirer.