Foreign affairs 2019 09-10

Can America Still Protect Its Allies?

September/October 2019 195

Trump or no Trump, the United States’ contemporary security

problems cannot be solved by traditional military deterrence alone.

Washington must commit itsel to reassuring its allies that it is both

willing and able to ful
ll its treaty obligations. But even more impor-

tant, it must begin to broaden its approach to deterrence in light o the

changing nature o the threat posed by rivals such as China and Rus-

sia. Above all, U.S. policymakers must develop strategies that com-

bine military elements with economic sanctions and other forms o

nonmilitary punishment. Such a strategy would reduce the risk o a

disastrous war by convincing adversaries that the United States is will-

ing to follow through on its threats, even in an era in which China and

Russia are not only wielding more powerful weapons but also showing

an increased willingness to use them.

FRIENDS IN NEED

In some respects, the fact that the United States now faces problems

reassuring its allies should come as no great surprise. Reassurance is

hard to achieve. Indeed, in a world o­ Westphalian nation-states, it is

The deterrers: Polish forces at a NATO exercise in Poland, November 2018

CRAIG RUTTLE

/ REDUX

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