Welcome back Dr. Mora! He has been overseas recently, but this week resumes his twice monthly international affairs column.

Since January 2025, the Trump administration has repeatedly questioned the utility of NATO, arguing that the alliance does not serve American interests. The core of this concern centers on “burden sharing,” the idea that the US bears the majority of financial and military costs while Europeans fail to pay their “fair share.”

While this financial imbalance is technically true, focusing solely on the price tag provides a narrow and incomplete picture. To the US, and specifically to Kentucky, NATO is worth every penny.

This debate is not just theoretical; it is a live debate dividing Kentucky’s own political leaders. Our state's congressional delegation is sharply split. On one side, Representative Thomas Massie has proposed legislation demanding that the US completely withdraw from NATO.

On the other, Senator Mitch McConnell has been one of the alliance's most staunch defenders, calling it the "most successful alliance in world history." With McConnell's term nearing its end and the political landscape shifting, the future of Kentucky's voice on global security is wide open. 

To understand why McConnell is right, we must look at what NATO actually bought us. Created after World War II as a shield against Soviet aggression, NATO underwrote decades of European peace. But in signing the agreement, the US did not act out of pure charity. We have benefited immensely.

First, the stable European economic boom that has mostly continued under the treaty turned the continent into a massive trading partner, directly benefiting American industries. Second, European security relies on the financial dominance of the US dollar and the purchase of US-made weapons. Third, foreign military basing rights for the US provide invaluable forward operating points that protect American interests abroad.

Compared with times past, conditions have admittedly changed. Europeans can and should afford to pay more for their own defense. A more self-reliant Europe would allow the US to pivot crucial military resources toward Asia.

However, walking away from NATO entirely is a mistake. Russia remains a direct threat to global peace. Russian President Vladimir Putin openly views the US-led world order as an obstacle to his geopolitical ambitions. Abandoning our allies would signal weakness and betrayal, not strength. Furthermore, every time US leaders attempt to shift focus toward Asia, conflicts in the Middle East, such as current tensions with Iran, short-circuit those efforts. We still need our allies.

Why should this matter to regular Kentuckians? Because global stability dictates local prosperity. Kentucky is a major export economy, driven by aerospace manufacturing, automotive parts, and agriculture. These high-paying local jobs rely entirely on safe, uninterrupted international trade lanes. When international security systems fracture, global supply chains break, and Kentucky workers pay the price.

In 2023, Congress passed a law strictly limiting a president's power to unilaterally withdraw from NATO. It did so because alliances, especially NATO, keep us safe and prosperous, and because since his first time in office, Trump has threatened to find a way to pre-empt Congress in order to withdraw the US from NATO, ostensibly because he objects to the US having to pay our share.

As Kentucky looks toward a future without McConnell's leadership in Washington, the state must continue to reject isolationism. NATO isn't a burden. It is an investment in Kentucky's security.

Jose E. Mora, PhD, is a former Professor and Chair of Global Affairs of the American University of Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Mora and his wife, Melissa, recently moved to Berea in order to be closer to their four adult children who also live here.