海角大神

NATO is not only rolling out the red carpet for President in Brussels Thursday, the military alliance 鈥� which Mr. Trump once declared obsolete 鈥� has been busy repackaging its image and is ready to unveil a new headquarters worth more than 1 billion euros.

In recent months, member nations have strained to show they are ramping up defense spending as Trump has demanded, even though they have been doing so for a few years in response to an aggressive Russia. And while they agree with the chief of the alliance鈥檚 most powerful member that NATO can do more to fight terrorism, they say it can be achieved with more of the same; training and mentoring troops in Afghanistan, and equipping local forces in Iraq so they can better fight the Islamic State group themselves.

鈥淭hey鈥檒l only talk about what he cares about, so really he should come out of this meeting feeling as though NATO responds to him,鈥� said Kristine Berzina, NATO analyst at the German Marshall Fund think tank. 鈥淎t least that鈥檚 what they hope here.鈥�

Indeed, as part of the repackaging to be announced during Trump鈥檚 24-hour visit to the city he branded a 鈥渉ellhole,鈥� NATO is likely to agree to join the 68-nation international coalition fighting IS. The move is symbolically important, especially since the group claimed responsibility Tuesday for a deadly explosion at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England.

An anti-terror coordinator may also be named, but most changes will be cosmetic, as NATO allies have no intention of going to war against IS.

鈥淚t鈥檚 totally out of the question for NATO to engage in any combat operations,鈥� NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday, on the eve of the meeting.

The 28 member nations, plus soon-to-join Montenegro, will renew an old vow to move toward spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense by 2024. Still, many are skeptical about this arbitrary bottom line that takes no account of effective military spending where it鈥檚 needed most. Germany would have to virtually double its military budget and spend more than Russia.

Putting some meat on the pledge, the leaders will agree to prepare action plans by the end of the year, plotting how to reach 2 percent over the next seven years, and show how they will use the money and contribute troops to NATO operations.

Only five members currently meet the target: Britain, Estonia, debt-laden Greece, Poland, and the United States, which spends more on defense than all the other allies combined.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not fair that we鈥檙e paying close to 4 percent and other countries that are more directly affected are paying 1 percent when they鈥檙e supposed to be paying 2 percent,鈥� Trump told the Associated Press in an interview last month.

Tomas Valasek from the Carnegie Europe think tank says the president鈥檚 demands on overdue debts have shaken up the other allies.

鈥淭rump has challenged the idea that active engagement in Europe is a core US interest,鈥� Mr. Valasek said. 鈥淗e appears to regard all foreign relations as zero-sum transactions, in which each contribution to someone else鈥檚 security represents a net loss to the United States.鈥�

The Europeans, Valasek said, should respond in two ways: 鈥淚n the short term, focus on preventing the president from abandoning the alliance and, in the long term, prepare to assume a bigger role in defending the European continent.鈥�

The short working-dinner meeting will be high on symbolism. At the entry to the new premises 鈥� a village-sized complex that should be in full use early next year 鈥� Trump and Mr. Stoltenberg will unveil a piece of the World Trade Center.

After the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, NATO activated its collective defense clause for the first and only time, with member nations pledging to help their beleaguered ally.

Stoltenberg and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will also unveil a part of the Berlin Wall that once divided East and West Germany.

But the ceremonies and symbolism will do little to hide the divisions running through NATO. Trump wants more from the alliance, while countries such as Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia want iron-clad assurances that they won鈥檛 be left alone should Russia cross their borders.

Turkey鈥檚 President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, has purged around 11,000 military personnel from its armed forces since last July鈥檚 thwarted coup. Hundreds of Western-educated senior officers were removed from posts at NATO, severely weakening the army.

Yet it鈥檚 a subject that is almost taboo at NATO headquarters; a national affair to be dealt with internally.

Tensions have also mounted between Erdogan and Merkel since Germany offered asylum to some of the officers. Belgium has publicly warned against any pro-Erdogan rallies during his visit.

Outside the heavily guarded security perimeter near the city鈥檚 airport and in downtown Brussels, peace groups have planned rallies of their own.

But, as the Manchester bombing remains fresh in mind, Belgium will remain on security Level 3 鈥� meaning that the threat of an extremist attack 鈥渋s possible and likely鈥� 鈥� as it has since the suicide-bomb attacks on the Brussels airport and subway killed 32 people last year.