- By Shubham Bajpai
- Wed, 01 Apr 2026 05:27 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Iran war is likely to change how global security has been working since World War II as United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to pull the country out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Calling the alliance a "paper tiger", Trump said, "I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way." On being asked if he was considering an exit, Trump responded, "Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration". Trump's threat met with a defiant tone from United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who reiterated his stance against joining the Iran war, saying, "it's not our war."
On Trump's exit remarks, he said, whatever the "noise", he would act in the British interest only.
What US' NATO exit mean?
Global security architecture change: Came into existence on April 4, 1949, after World War II, NATO has essentially been an anti-Russian bloc. The US adds military might, nuclear deterrence, intelligence and logistics to the group. A US exit would mean a weakening of the alliance. The Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland would feel more vulnerable after the US exit.
For the US, it could lose global influence as a NATO pullout would essentially mean severing defence cooperation with its most trusted allies, Europe and Canada.
Russia's strategic advantage and ramifications for Ukraine: NATO is a major deterrence against Russia in Eastern Europe.
In fact, Ukraine's bid to join the alliance was cited as the reason by Russia to start the war in 2022. The US's pullout would increase pressure on Eastern Europe and, by extension, the entire continent. Moreover, attacks on Ukraine could intensify further, marking the speeding up of the protracted Russia-Ukraine War.
China gaining influence: The regional powers, especially those having anti-West and anti-US posturing, like China, would gain significant influence. Over decades, NATO, pushed by the US, has engaged with other nations like Japan and Taiwan through military exercises, drills and intelligence. The years of building defence agreements and understandings have caused a balance of power in East Asia, with otherwise is heavily imbalance in favour of China. Weakening of NATO will damage its capabilities to counter the Chinese threat and would leave the countries dependent on only bilateral cooperation.
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Risk of nuclear proliferation: At present, NATO has three nuclear-armed states - the US, UK and France. US' exit means a reduction in nuclear deterrence of the bloc, which in turn could prompt countries to build their own nukes, as concerns of nuclear proliferation after the war have already been raised by experts. Iran is said to be going for making nuclear bombs now, as a fatwa against it, which was issued by former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, holds no relevance for the regime in the wake of his assassination.
Economic and political fallout: The fear of instability could cause market volatility and shock as defence budget could significantly go up in Europe.