Robert Pape

So what I'm saying, Patrick, is exactly what— To get rid of that.

NATO's dead.

We're writing its obituary.

Tell me why.

So first thing people need to know about NATO is it's not just a political alliance.

It is a political alliance where leaders get together and we have Brussels and so forth.

But it's more.

We have a thing that your listeners will hear called Article 5.

Okay, we decide we're going to fight together in a war.

Much more than that.

Article 5 says...

that when you agree with Article 5, there will be an, quote, integrated command structure.

What does integrated command structure mean?

An American general runs the militaries of all the other NATO countries, like World War II with Eisenhower, five-star general.

So just pause for a minute.

Notice how this changes your thinking.

So Article 5,

is not just, oh, now we're going to fight together and then sort out the lines of authority.

No.

Article 5 is, once we agree, and we've only done this with Afghanistan, that's the one time we've done Article 5, it means that an American general, now we could second it, we can make a decision, just so you know, that let another general do it, but the idea was American general