We got this. That was the Trump administration's message to European allies in the early days of its war with Iran. Washington hadn't warned its NATO partners about the military campaign, jointly undertaken with Israel, much less consulted with them about the war's objectives. Instead, American officials told Europeans to look after their own interests. Specifically, the Pentagon advised counterparts in Berlin to concentrate on NATO's eastern flank'the part of the alliance closest to Russia'while the United States managed Iran and the rest of the Middle East, two German officials told me. 'They were really confident,' one of the officials said, referring to U.S. war planners. But that confidence was short-lived, and after President Trump's hope for a swift victory faded, he began lashing out at NATO for not doing enough to help the United States. Inside the Pentagon, meanwhile, the team helping manage the military's relationship with NATO allies was about to take a hit. In March,...
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