a standing and facing an army suffice. it's when you've not done it, it's a big deal. there's a base basic comedy instinct that i think he has. that is a lot of confidence. that thing will make sense to you on stage. the only thing that needs to be seen a good today that if it keeps coming back for more, you mean the issue that is what typically meeks stand up or down, right? yeah, i think these have been the most exciting piece of my life is defined, at least like it has been stated with excitement. lot of see it is when it was like enjoying a very moving does like the i don't want to send out. i want to be sufficient, and that's what i'm hoping to achieve with comedy. the

nato, the north atlantic treaty organization was formed 75 years ago. it's aimed to prevent more between solver and countries, the 75 years of europe and history without a war. that's the ultimate expression of a successful alliance. then, on february 24th 2022, russia launched

a full scale invasion of ukraine. war had returned to europe. ukraine itself is not a needle member, but russia's actions have prompted the question. is the western military alliance capable of defending itself? how strong is nato? the russian president vladimir putin viewed the eastern expansion of nato as both a threat and betrayal of a purported promise and booting size? it was a breach of trust that justified russia's attack on another country. he made that clear and an address to the nation 3 days before russian troops invaded ukraine. the scene instead of the postmaster diagnose loan, that's kind of based on a need, but i would like that i substitute existing my position, you does that process as

a project, right? and they say that again, sort of, i mean we were supposed to be speaking into that process, the motions. so similar to what are the number one key, this is a new brand new, not that it's a pretty my i think because it is it possible for me to get to the scene you like by the master? oh yeah, no, it seems like you still have a kind of shows that to be sure to get something even though some guy who comes up . so it's both of us when you get a minute. so you can look at what's to sample i beach in the store, you praise, they do it as best, but i knew you can see me by giving them a piece was to be a method you might be doing. must push them apart when he is still, i mean, yet you don't mind your customer sitting in your way. and the other thing is that nothing, no, that's it. that's not one inch eastward. that's the much quoted promise, nato is said to have made to russia.

so did the west to betray russia. ready as story and mary isa royalty has spent most of her academic life focusing on that exact question. she's conducted more than $100.00 interviews and scrutinized countless transcripts letters and documents . and ultimately, she found a clear answer. what i would really like would be if the russians would lay down their weapons and go home. i can't make that happen. but in a certain sense, put in this trying to get history is a weapon to justify what he's doing. and i am a historians, and so in my own little way, it's very minor compared to what the premiums are doing. but in my own little way, i can perhaps take that weapon away from him by showing and a serious, reproducible scholarly way. the true narrative, the actual narrative of what happened. the story begins shortly after the fall of the berlin wall. germany was on the brink of reunification, but there was a challenge. germany had surrendered unconditionally after the 2nd world war. so

the foreign victor powers, the us, france, britain, and the soviet union still had undisputed legal rights over divided germany, and particularly over divided berlin. so in order for germany to unify, all 4 had to give those powers up. the 3 victorious western powers ask themselves what the 4th power would demand. what would the soviet union's last liter mikhail gorbachev want in return for allowing the reunification of germany the the former west german foreign minister hans dietrich denture was, was certain that corporate jobs would want the security of knowing and dentures words that neither pulling nor hungary is going to join nato,

so venture thought that was reasonable and felt strongly that the western allies, so america, britain, france, and west germany should offer that to gorbachev. denture, propose the idea to us secretary of state james baker. he too thought it was reasonable. on february 9th 1990 baker visited gorbachev at the kremlin and he says roughly the following. how about you let your part of germany go. and we say that nato nato, in its jurisdiction, will move not one into sports. after the meeting, baker flew back to the us to report back to his boss and a good friend, president george h. w. bush. bush, however, was anything but impressed with the proposal, the bush says, jim, i'm disappointed in you. i don't think we should negotiate about the future of nato . i think nato just won the cold war. i think nato is great just the way it is. so

we're not going to do that. and you need to let people know. so one of my more interesting discoveries was a letter that baker then wrote to the west german 4 and ministry at the end of february, saying, i'm sorry, i should have said that i've caused confusion. we need to stop talking about this. and after that, this offer disappears from you american negotiating position. 2 weeks later, bush invited west german chancellor, helmut kohl and his wife to camp david the us presidents, country residence bush said to call pretty much the same thing. but he said to james baker, we're not going to negotiate or the future of nato to help with that. that's a direct quote to help with that. and coal responded ok. the corporate job is going to want something in exchange for his burdening tips and goals. coal thought about it and said, perhaps it will be

a question of money. and bush responded. you have deep pockets. and the later defense minister bob gates, who was basically taking notes around this time, he bob gates later wrote his memoirs. at that moment, the strategy became clear. we were going to bribe the soviets out, but with money not with promises about nato enlargement. the 2 plus 4 negotiations dragged on until september 12th 1990. by then nothing stood in the way of german reunification and the line, not one inch eastward was not in any treaty. sturgess assembly vague and they'll tuck your one, dusty for i need them to dodge. so and then by truck routes, a field 70 it. even guns are a little past, this was not an amateur. our, these were professionals negotiating. this was the a team is we say in america,

and at the end, what actually was in the contract explicitly allows nato to enlarge across the former cold war front line. that i believe is what is most important and the soviet union not only signed that accord, not only ratified it, but also cashed. the associated check from billions of deutsch marks that pollutant doesn't mention. so what, who does is he mentioned the early phase and negotiations where that was a possibility. but then he ignores what actually happened to the end. months later, the soviet union collapsed. the warsaw pact was officially dissolved. the soviet flag over the kremlin was lowered nato when the west had one. suddenly the question arose. what should they don't do next? month after 1990, there was this idea of the peace dividend all states in europe in the west, but also russia and other former soviet states reduce their arms. the idea was if

everyone had to your weapons, it signaled nobody wanted conflict in that one's view of one kind of conflict. and for a few years at least, the idea seemed to work. relations between russia and the west improved in 1997 leaders of nato countries and russian president boris yeltsin, signed a cooperation agreement called the nato, russia of founding act german diplomatic, both gong dissing was at the negotiations to give it to you in the 1st half of the 1990s, the relationship was by no means confrontational or hostile. russian needed cooperation with the west of a rush. it was later admitted to the g 7 or so suddenly we were the g 8 of the don't. let's see by the us. the nato, russia founding act, literally states, nato and russia. do not consider each other as adversaries, the phone, man, boom. so be, you mean the spot who is like apps on ok. let's see if you can see it. i see it

choose to be too bad or you know, or your view of it all. in the founding that the west made concessions to rush out just because of the couldn't we agree that no nuclear weapons would be deployed on the territory a future eastern nato member states the t o period and building boat so i wouldn't even know if sore, but despite the accept you, we also accepted that the deployment of troops from nato member states in those countries would only be allowed to take place in a very limited way with their stuff in dawson and nato. honored that agreement, says andre cartoon of academic director of the russian international affairs council in moscow. the,

the license to young to me have to, i agree that between 20142022 the north atlantic treaty organization showed us such an restraint or the low up the loan is different from the folks because side some of the machine, you know, the restraints in deploying new troops and heavy weapons to its eastern flank to roll, it would really not for you of us pushing of long abilities was evidently done to avoid any accusation of violating the provisions of the nato russia founding act as little a guy issue uh the uh, that i see not the category the act does not allow the apologies to station launch off. most of the weapons along the russian border. really probably use it because like when you get the most whose land on the other hand, russia is doing things very differently is to me this nuclear. we have to assume

that there are nuclear capable missile systems and colon and brad, which wouldn't give much warning to us sitting here in berlin right here. been a lot is happening there. i see it i because we haven't done any of that needs. we haven't done anything in this domain that didn't already exist before reunification or during the cold war exist yet. even when booting came to power in 1999, the relationship between russia and nato was peaceful. the old enemy seemed to have become a friend. meanwhile, a new adversary had emerged. terrorism to this day, the alliance is article 5 has only ever been invoked once. following the terrorist attacks of september, 11th, 2001. today our fellow citizens, our way of life, are very freedom, came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist attacks the pictures of airplanes

flying and the buildings fires, burning huge, huge structures. collapsing, have filled us with disbelief at the time stephanie bobs was a nato security adviser at headquarters in brussels, watching as events unfolded the as gab down much oh, do you forced along during the attacks but also off too. it's there was a sense that we should expect to find them or tax fights of an uncle, and we didn't know why. and, and i remember very well how unsettled we felt as employees at nato headquarters have to use. okay, we so we will also target, we have an even 5 target so if it is to tell me that this was directed from abroad, i didn't see. and i did see it shall be regardless as an accident of the size of

the washington t. and you'll find, find us easy, clean that regard. there was a considerable risk in invoking article 5. you please by china, because nobody knew what the situation would be like in a week's time. the i'm of the condos are going forward and whether the americans would suddenly demand immediate military support from their allies. and nobody could know that for ca tile is off to the attacks. then honestly, newman sung in response to the attacks us, president george w bush declared a war on terror in 2170 nations took part in the subsequent war in afghanistan, including all nato countries and russia. a few days after the attacks put in speaking german address to the german parliament in berlin, who did the other. the other is foods and was one of the very 1st to express his condolences and a willingness to help after 911. that's relations were still stable. back them w,

when the of the other them going to have an understanding happened. when does the united states you see that was so difficult for the v. humans shoots and this one thing in the them to them to have kind of a desktop with. yeah, it's from september in this out in the time to finish talking to she is, you know, been plus mentioned in the, against the various plugins. this is the common cont, once we have that on this issue, the death of dentistry dixon for an interview. the political you'll even by testing purposes to this because what i know 5 michelle new in duplicate. how many do you model? can you give a non just look at polling. ready ready pollutants supported nato in afghanistan in the fight against dow, kinda some of nato's logistics were routed via russia. or at the time

prudent even considered the prospect of russia joining nato. the . ready both of russia and nato member states benefit from the cooperation economically and politically. the non you probably, and you have certainly used to move to very much. it was a very good cooperation between the west and russians all us. uh, essentially in the early 2, thousands a year and then the well yeah, yeah, complete get that goes out to which to are the best example is probably the transportation options that russia offered nato during the war in afghanistan or the out of so posting that y'all a while, you know, they're not the so called northern transport car at all. well, well, so several years, you're going to need the prospect, the, give me a dork. it proved to be very effective. yes. you can get the category of option

because also effects even from 2000 to onwards. representatives of russia and nato met regularly in the nato, russia council. the mood among leaders was playful and upbeat at the more like a set the minute the step closer to the even though i just don't study at the go much go through the book with the slippery slope. and the, i think started to go downhill with the us decision to intervene in iraq, if not before then gosh and try to because moscow of course had the feeling that a red line had been crossed or it says, and what do you knew? it was shifting when the americans were going to start that kind of war means you get the with thousands of tanks and soldiers. and as it turned out,

the based on false information and then where, what it ends on it, as it was invested in it was the beginning of the end of good relations between russia and the west. russia, like china and france voted against the invasion of a rock at the un security council. the us invaded any way without a un mandate in 2007, 4 years after the us invaded iraq with its coalition of the willing food and spoke at the munich security conference. he took the united states and its allies to task over their policies. the front of my computer, you'll see that you think it was more list it is these new book, but this uh yeah. okay. give me to go with a google anybody yet. let me know what's the diploma? just give me something it

does up with the some fox in the what is the fact the contact was maintained between moscow and brussels was very often seen as some kind of stave from nato to want to rush at the very near cause of a r c a pull would show us as the council was almost exclusively considered a mechanism for exchanging information mugs, really, but one which had no serious decision making functions you've got to you. and of course, those 2 approaches were bound to clash sooner or later that you, dropbox for the on the new portion of those little bit of salt mode. so we can still void shipping a, but it's a national publication depends a bit me moves and that will never problem most. ideally, normally the best way to choose and you've assessed is html 5 and then what was the? that's the easiest. okay? so you almost doesn't finish out the good,

i need the bus with the left. if you look on them, if you find the ticket, you're going to start and i see it maybe as a way to begin with. so that's the look i'm with the front of that. come with the $500.00 of us at least, psychically, i guess we probably reacted unwisely. zillow, the reaction was basically to a sense, full scale attack on ukraine would follow in 2022. the rushes for administer essentially declared that the nato russia council was no more they want to go back to the border since 1997. they sent a concept tree to text and made to in december 2021. and that means that the basically all the members that since 1997 has become a member of nato,

would sort of become a 2nd class member. of course that is unacceptable. who wants less of nato instead? he's getting more of it. finland joining the alliance in 20. 23. sweden applied for membership in 2022, but wasn't admitted at 1st. for 20 months, turkish president ridge of type air to one block, sweden's membership that hungary a post at even longer. only to members have the right to veto, for example, when it comes to new member states as well. just read and obviously hit for just last week and had been preparing for over a year. and they made an incredibly important, really quite 2 story decision. they had to get it through parliament, which was a difficult political fate, inclusive, the sister from that they were more or less dependent on 2 people, missed a oven and missed a other one and all bundled. so they were on the doorstep and they basically had to

beg quotes. i told them bitches. research, are you guys out? i dean says air to one has deliberately used nato to make profitable deals for years. and his role at the german institute for international on security affairs dean has observed turkey's foreign policy of there's a set off and there's also a tactical reason for the turkish position with turkey wants to extort more benefits. so to the us, if you want to put it that way and this was i kind of escape, it's about acquiring at 16 fighter jets, for example, jets. turkey isn't going to make it easy. i mean, the country is negotiating this one to 100. meanwhile, nato once again faces an age old question. how united would the alliance be in the event of an attack? polling suggests that nearly 3 quarters of turks now see its nato partner the united states as their greatest threat. nato itself now has just 23 percent support

in turkey. nato is most important member was and is the us. it's key to the alliance of strength and its future. we assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital and in every hall of power. from this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. from this day forward, it's going to be only america. first, america, 1st the united states, please, an extremely important coordinating role in nato. the president is the most important person in the alliance, and without an american president and all of that means in terms of american

military and nuclear power. the, the, the alliance itself would be just a shadow of itself in july 2018. nato secretary general young sheldon bag and us president donald trump launched on camera at the nato summit and brussels germany is just paying a little bit over one percent. whereas the united states in actual numbers is paying for point 2 percent of a much larger g d p. so i think that's inappropriate. all, you know, we're protecting germany, we're protecting france, we're protecting everybody. and yet we're paying a lot of money to protect. now this has been going on for decades, and then numerous of the countries go out and make a pipeline deal with russia without paying billions of dollars into the coffers of russian. and i think that's very inappropriate. and the former chancellor of germany is the head of the pipeline company that supplying the gas in 2014

nato member states agreed to spend a 2 percent of gdp on defense. but apart from the united states modeling, any country stuck to it, the john bolton was us national security advisor for around 18 months under donald trump until the president forced him to resign. when i took the job is national security advisor. i believe that the weight of the decisions that the president had to make and the national security field, the gravity of the responsibility would weigh on donald trump and disciplined him in the same way. it had for 44 american presidents before him. bolton was there on the 2nd day of the nato summit, when trump nearly caused a major incident. the

while i was in a car over to our embassy residence in brussels, where the president was staying. and he called me in the car and said, uh, i think we should do something. his story today, i think we should withdraw from nato. and i said, somewhat surprised by that. i said, well, let's discuss it. i'm almost there. as soon as i hung up at the present minute, i called the mike pompei o the secretary of state i called john kelly white house chief of staff. i tried to reach matt as the secretary of defense to basically say all hands on deck. i think this is very serious the for the 1st time and need those history. us withdrawal seemed a real possibility. the well, i was very worried that the trump would actually announce with ro, right?

they're not that we had considered it not that we had discussed it at the n a c a. but because trump, once he started talking about something off and just went ahead and did it. and at one point, trump said to me that basically he was going to replace me with someone who didn't argue with him, but who just said yes, when he said things like, i want to get out of nato. the, the last conversation i had was, and he was literally sitting at the big table in the nato meeting room. he called me up and said, well, shall we do it. and i said that, go right up to the line, but don't go over the line. and then i went and sat back down and when i set down, i had no prediction 40 would do the i think with a normal the president it would have been seen as

a blow because people know that come on the united states needs nato just as much as nato needs the united states, so nobody would have taken serious. he comes across is not truly appreciating the significance of the alliance or what it even means or understanding the history or why do we do what we do. c e, he understands the world and it transactional sense. quit pro, quote. then if i give you security, what do i get in return? why do i have it was deal when it comes to nature. he didn't appreciate that nature was impose and for the us in order to create global stability and security for him . it's just to do that. but can you give me this? and i'll give you that. that's what nato is about. the mission of, of, of the not to do nothing came of trumps threats. but nato allies, especially those in europe. we're concerned me. berlin

july 2019 simulation was carried out by london's international institute for strategic studies. and the cub a foundation, security experts from germany, france, the u. k. poland, and the us to part. everything happened in secret. neither the location, northern participants were disclosed. know how miller is executive director of international affairs at the club foundation by using sonata enablement as a sole task for the scenario exercises we invite government officials but also people from the academic world. and from think tanks of the think tank that i was pushing, they come from various countries that are relevant for the scenario we're playing out new and then the funds and a and a very important requirement. and the simulation games is that the list of participants remains absolutely confidential to the fatality type. the technician scenario was this. during a 2nd, trump presidency,

the us announces its withdrawal from nato. it was in the military scenario. it was a political one. what concessions would the remaining member states be prepared to make with nato even collapse under the strain of a u. s. threat. as of the start, your team about doing you all's hyatt of a german team was quite prepared to throw the issue of trade policy into the equation. voc charlottesville for a pullin volume and that polish team was relatively quick to enter into talks with the americans along the lines of hey hey, what can we do beyond nato, in terms of a bilateral security policy agreement to be that to our and the, the sides party to should fine bone, so send that, of course was actually a concern for the other players in the game. yeah. and then up to in these, infuse then, then the on because if we start making bilateral security agreements with the u. s . and that the structure, you know,

will be undermined to death to natural. i'd spoke to that. are you intending you to that and what they expected would happen. but it was a return to a series of bilateral alliances alliance between 2 states, maybe 3 states in europe. and what they saw was the return to rickety system of alliances like those that existed in europe before the 2nd world war. and then in some cases before the 1st world war 2, and they worried that this would be a very unstable and dangerous situation, where states would have a series of different security obligations that could activate a whole series of dominos, if you will, if a conflict where to begin, the scenario secretly played out in berlin in 2019 became relevant once more in 2024. trump has repeatedly made nato an election issue and his campaign appearances

the and we don't get so much out of it. and you know, i hate to tell you this about nato. if we ever needed the help, let's say we were attacked. i don't believe they'd be there. i very much fear if he becomes president again, he will withdraw from data. but he will probably also band and ukraine, that who knows what else he will do. i think it will be very destructive, very counter productive. i think that the trump will withdraw from nato because he has felt for so long that it was something he wanted to do. i think he feels frustrated that he wasn't able to do it. in his 1st term. he probably blames people like myself and several others. and in, in the 2nd trump term, he will not be burdened by people like me. i can tell you. they asked me that question one of the presidents of, of the countries that upset. well sir,

uh if we don't pay and were attacked by russia, will you protect us? i said, you didn't pay your delinquent. you said yes. let's say that happened. no, i would not protect you. in fact, i would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. so you gotta say, gotta pay your bill. and the money came flowing in. we were like the stupid country of the world and we're not going to be the stupid country of the world any longer. we're not going to be the real danger isn't unofficial us withdrawal from nato. was that something that congress made clear again in 2019 with legislation on some of my thoughts as you must have the president does not have the power to break the north atlantic treaty suppression fatigue. she's have to go through congress. the route to she could 5 does need is a real danger, is a lack of political will to do anything in the case of an ally being attacked by

whether the president and the white house is trump, or someone else. i've been from that could be it even if trump is re elected and doesn't officially withdrawal from nato, because the us congress doesn't allow him to come. he can still decide to do nothing. if an attack takes place, then put him on a contest. the us congress would still have the power to dictate a will, but the us presidents of, of, as military commander could simply not send troops from the i could the world's largest military alliance. and it's famous article 5 be undermined by just one person. and that's not the only threat to nato global power dynamics have been shifting for years to life. and i think for one thing us society is changing to another. but also in recent years, there's been a dramatic increase in the perception that china is a sprint. we own the global play of that could take on the us under the category we

rushes and the completely different category. when it comes to that, according to the global fire power index, china is ranked just after the united states and russia when it comes to military strength and world wide. modernization of asians military is set to be completed by 2035 plus china already has the largest navy in the world. satellite images from recent years show how china has build up huge military bases on small, undeveloped ad holes in the south china sea. the china is taking an increasingly aggressive stance towards taiwan and other agents dates. those dates are internal, also hoping for assistance from the us and nato, the. the theme that we're also seeing this with ukraine is increasingly the question is, can we be equally active and both sides see, it says in both regions. nice that we now spending on ukraine in

terms of weapons and supports. should we already be supplying that to tie one to in case of a conflict from success databases going on in the us commuting types of apps. pnc 5 titles and i wasn't part of a delegation to the us in 20. 19. during our discussions, the americans told us russia, so you're a problem, it's a european problem. now, it's not ours anymore. you have to take care of it. on the desktop is not going to change, even if and 10 or 20 years. we have better relations with russia until then, europeans have to come to terms with the idea that the us may simply not be able to act in the conflict because they may be busy elsewhere. the ones that are on the mantel challenge for europeans in the future will be to show how they can also be useful and not just the beneficiary of us security. and it should be, is that or is there a need for a plan be like a unified european army? after all,

particle $42.00 of the treaty on european union contains its own mutual assistance guarantees similar to nato's article 5. the needless to say, the us wouldn't be the military power. it is today if it wasn't centralized. and that's exactly why a european army under a unified command structure is so unlikely, because we're not one country like the united states. you have leucon of the european union is made up of 27 countries mind. they will never let us central command in brussels, for example, take military decision making out of the center. and it's a time come understand the inclusive, somebody in february 2024 european commission president was that a funded lion supported a proposal to appoint an e u. defense commissioner in the future. but the idea of a european army would have to be approached over the long term, the festival. what the europeans can do is the

line, the army, so that they are complementary, so that they work together. they still wouldn't it cheap, the necessary level of deterrence against russia, but at least they'd have a foundation on which they could carry out small to medium sized emissions on their own. and if you want to tape, fuel small to medium sized dimensions are unlikely to discourage russia in the long term. in january 2024, nato began its largest troop exercise since the end of the cold war named steadfast defender, 90000 soldiers practicing their reaction to a simulated attack. over several months, the hypothetical opponent, russia, the, the united kingdom diplomat had said essentially, every time nato gets into trouble, the russians come along and save it was what you deal,

not as he just nato is now in fact, returning to the reason, the north atlantic bulk was founded in 1949 is keeping moscow a day of his. do you have the most good weather proven likes it or not? russia's war and ukraine has reinvigorated nato. the is think is, is the good to your opinions and of course is gemini, it's the biggest test that we have faced since the end of the 2nd world war. this is not some minor crisis that we can manage from the side lisles. it's some kind of minutes and regardless of external pressure, the looming risk between europe and the us is unmistakable. europeans are facing completely new challenges. i mean, because the ministry power of oil,

europe and states put together as simply to small compared to what the us has creating and european defense policy that could function without nato would take decades. not to mention require much more than the 2 percent of g d. p that's being demanded today. would escape just providing the money isn't enough. things have to be produced. weapon systems would have to be made the kind you up kind of the dream of today kind of hopeless with the post cold war piece. dividend seems to have been used up. the defense is once again, part of every day political discourse been for me didn't fall. i have a family, a lot of us here. our fathers and mothers, we don't want more than, you know, it's the very thing we want to prevent the guns and beat. so how can it be prevented or so by 1st caring for something like it to me and by sending a message to somebody who just over a year ago, carried out an attack on a neighbor he piece by saying,

get out as to that won't work here so i'm here to just kind of like after 75 years, nato is once again confronting the task it faced when it was found it preventing a war the flying high. yesterday, in the doldrums today, the electric vehicles in europe,

more and more buyers are beginning to doubts, claims that these are cheaper to run. hunger is ranking on a long term recovery courting chinese investors and building new factory made in germany. in 30 minutes on d. w, a. sherman tech is that it's those, or even where does it come from? a clash of cultures has invested around with buildings, fits a symbol over name, who invented? focus on you at the and 19 minutes on dw, learn, salmon. what's the winning offer is available

and has never been sent to the business, dw, and using things around top stories. french authorities have released a telegram pulse pop will do all the following. he's week into risk by the court has imposed strict conditions do off must pay a bond of 5000000 euros. he cannot fully friends and must also report to police twice a week. russian born to or off a sizing allegations that he allowed criminal activity on his messaging up. several palestinians have been killed in a coordinated series of ryans and strikes carried down by his riley forces in the occupied westbank. the id.