Retired General Barry McCaffrey Warns That NATO may be Finished amid Trump’s Foreign Policy Stance

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Alex Bollinger
February 20, 2025
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7 minutes read

Photo by MSNBC

Retired General Barry McCaffrey has declared that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), after 76 years, is effectively “over.” Speaking on an MSNBC panel of foreign policy experts, McCaffrey discussed President Donald Trump’s recent comments blaming Ukraine for Russia’s invasion. He expressed deep concerns that the erosion of U.S. commitment to NATO could lead to war.

“Unfortunately, my own view is the damage is done,” McCaffrey stated regarding Trump’s foreign policy stance. “It’s now irrevocable. There’s not a shred of rational argument among European powers to trust the United States’ commitment to NATO and Article Five.”

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McCaffrey underscored NATO’s historical role as a “deterrent organization” that has “kept the peace for four generations.” “I think that’s over,” he admitted. “Right now, there’s a scramble among all the European countries—including the Finns, the Swedes, the Baltic states, and Poland—who feel they are under the gun.”

He further suggested that European allies may be preparing to disregard U.S. assurances entirely. “In private, I wouldn’t be surprised if they haven’t committed themselves to wiping out any U.S. assurances,” he added.

Although the U.S. maintains nuclear capabilities, McCaffrey noted, “Fortunately, both the French and the Brits do as well. Otherwise, the nuclear assurance that the U.S. grants to our allies in Europe would be gone also.”

He also pointed out Trump’s past determination to acquire Greenland, arguing that it made little sense since U.S. forces are already stationed there as part of a NATO base. Without NATO, he warned, that presence could disappear.

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“There is a series of, sort of, psychobabble announcements coming out of the U.S. government that has the global leadership confounded,” McCaffrey said. “But they think we’re gone, I think, in Europe, for the Trump administration period.”

MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace then asked what this shift means for global stability. “Well, I think it increases the likelihood of war,” McCaffrey warned.