Here’s the scenario of a war game played Monday by a group of current members of Congress and former U.S. military, diplomatic, and intelligence officials. It’s 2028, the Ukraine war remains a bloody stalemate, and Russia sees a chance to further splinter Europe by attacking Moldova. One of its drones hits a fuel depot in Romania, a NATO member, killing civilians.
What does the United States do? The answer in this simulation, as I fear would be the case in real life, was a tepid response—and an implicit statement that NATO’s Article 5 pledge of collective security is almost a dead letter. In the simulation, the members of Congress agreed that the American public wouldn’t support strong action. And without U.S. leadership, Europe would be fragmented and disorganized.
Here’s the scenario of a war game played Monday by a group of current members of Congress and former U.S. military, diplomatic, and intelligence officials. It’s 2028, the Ukraine war remains a bloody stalemate, and Russia sees a chance to further splinter Europe by attacking Moldova. One of its drones hits a fuel depot in Romania, a NATO member, killing civilians.
What does the United States do? The answer in this simulation, as I fear would be the case in real life, was a tepid response—and an implicit statement that NATO’s Article 5 pledge of collective security is almost a dead letter. In the simulation, the members of Congress agreed that the American public wouldn’t support strong action. And without U.S. leadership, Europe would be fragmented and disorganized.
