Macron has started an overdue debate on the future of European defence

For decades Nato’s guiding philosophy has been “One for all, all for one.” Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty requires Nato members to defend an ally which has been attacked with armed force if necessary. Today that principle was turned on its head. It wasn’t an attack on one ally that has prompted a collective defence from Nato members, but an attack by one of the 29: France’s President, Emmanuel Macron.

The French president’s recent controversial comments that Nato is “brain dead” and that Russia should be brought in from the cold made for a tetchy start to the alliance’s 70th anniversary celebrations in London yesterday, and a massive headache for tomorrow’s leader’s meeting in a Hertfordshire hotel.

More controversially, Macron has raised the question of what is the purpose of Nato and which enemy is the alliance meant to contain? Is  it Russia? Or China? Or maybe, as he states it should be, Islamic terrorism.

President Donald Trump kicked off the animus against Macron, describing his criticism of Nato as “very insulting to a lot of different forces” and “It’s a very, very nasty statement to essentially 28 countries.”

Being Trump, he took the opportunity to make a few digs about France’s economic performance, highlighting Macron’s troubles with the ‘yellow vest’ movements and union protests, protests which are set to intensify this week with new strike action. He also took the chance to threaten to jack up prices on French cheeses and champagne imports in retaliation to France’s new tax to be levied on tech giants such as Amazon and Google. And being Trump, he had clearly forgotten that it was while campaigning to be President that he described Nato as ‘obsolete’ , questioning the commitment of its European members to spend enough money on their share of the budget and for relying too much on the Americans. No more. Since then, Trump has been through something of a Damascene conversion, helped by Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, who has done much to appease and placate the US president.  Indeed, Stoltenberg has praised the president, saying it’s because of Trump that allies have stumped up an extra $130bn in increased defence.

What Macron’s comments – made in an Economist interview – have achieved though is to unite the other  members into defending the alliance. Germany’s Angela Merkel has been particularly outspoken, describing Macron’s intervention as dangerous while Poland’s premier, Mateusz Morawiecki, accused Emmanuel Macron of being irresponsible, claiming that Nato is “the most important alliance in the world when it comes to preserving freedom and peace”.

Paradoxically – or maybe intentionally – Macron has also triggered a much-needed debate, about the purpose Nato which might unwittingly have brought allies closer together but also question some hard truths which they have yet to face up.

What appears to have prompted Macron’s criticism was the sight of the US and Turkey – a key Nato member in the east – taking military action in northern Syria without consulting other allies, a move which disconcerted most Nato members.

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Macron have had their own war of words. Following Macron’s comments about Turkey’s move into northern Syria as being an example of Nato’s brain death, Erdogan, suggested the Frenchman should: “Have your own brain death checked. These statements are suitable only to people like you who are in a state of brain death.”

So don’t expect the usual niceties in the official communique from Watford tomorrow. Communiques after such events are full of good intentions but don’t say much of intent.

That’s unlikely this time. Expect fine words from Stoltenberg about how the alliance is as strong as ever and the greatest peaceful alliance in history. But that he will be launching a strategic review. Which you could say is a mini- victory for Macron.For a few days at least. For the French president faces his own test next Monday

His new rapprochement with Moscow will be under scrutiny next week when he hosts the first ‘Normandy Format’ meeting in France to get to grips with the war in Ukraine with leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France. He might find it helpful to remember ‘Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno.’