US threatens to sideline old friend no longer able to show real muscle

It is not the first time the US would turn away from the alliance it founded. The NATO bombing campaign of Serbia in 1999, for example, was a terrible setback.

The US — and its president at the time, Bill Clinton — was frustrated by NATO’s “decisions by committee” and Europe’s lack of basic equipment in areas such as logistics and communications

AT NATO’s 60th anniversary summit meeting next month, the stage is set for celebrations and self-congratulations. But President Barack Obama may have to face some very uncomfortable questions about the alliance’s future.