¡°We respectfully suggest...,¡± the letter says. It was sent by a group representing more than 300 veterans of American diplomacy, intelligence and national security and addressed to the leaders of the intelligence committees in the Senate and House.
For a fleeting moment, I thought ¡ª hoped? ¡ª that I was reading a Swiftian satire in the tradition of ¡°A Modest Proposal.¡± Then it hit me with full force that the entreaty was dead serious and reflected what I and other observers of U.S. foreign policy under U.S. President Donald Trump have been worrying about for months.
The letter asks Congress to demand a classified intelligence assessment that answers questions such as the following: Whether America¡¯s allies believe the U.S. remains a stable democracy; whether they regard the U.S. as a reliable partner; whether they¡¯re hedging their security by seeking alternative alliances without the U.S.; and even whether they¡¯re developing contingency plans for wars ¡°in which they might, for the first time in generations, have to fight against U.S. forces if America were to align with Russia against NATO or Ukraine, for example.¡± Let that sink in.
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