Stormy weather

摘要

WOULD DONALD TRUMP defend a nato ally that was, as he put it, "delinquent" in meeting its military spending targets? "I'll be discussing that today," replied the president menacingly, in an interview on December 3rd. "It's a very interesting question, isn't it?" And so began a tumultuous two days in suburban London, where nato leaders had gathered to mark the alliance's 70th anniversary. Things only got worse. In a press conference with Jens Stoltenberg, nato's secretary-general, Mr Trump remarked that he could envisage France "breaking off" from the alliance and observed, with something of the air of a mafia boss, that France "needs protection more than anybody". At a reception at Buckingham Palace later that evening, Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, was overheard mocking Mr Trump to his British, French and Dutch counterparts. When he heard about that, Mr Trump cancelled a closing press conference and left early. But although the American president was, predictably, the butt of much merriment among commentators, his words did not cause as much disquiet as those of France's president, Emmanuel Macron.