London plays host to another Nato summit tomorrow, which can only mean one thing: expect plenty of handshakes, laboured smiles for the cameras and joint communiques about solidarity, unity and the importance of Western values.
Underneath the facade, however, lies a club riven by disputes over policy and personality. Nato may be celebrating its 70th anniversary this week, but its members are also coming together at a turbulent time. And for once, the turbulence isn’t all Donald Trump’s fault.
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Nato ministers have learned to walk on egg-shells whenever Trump is in the same room. If the 2017 summit was the chaotic opening act, where the newly-elected US president abraded Europeans in front of Nato headquarters for acting like America’s cheap cousins, the meeting in 2019 will be a restrained affair.
European ministers in attendance know quite well what they are getting with Trump and it usually revolves around a stern lecture about the importance of reaching into your own wallets and throwing more money into the Nato pot.
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