Resistance to a war started without European consent makes clear the alliance’s limits. The US can’t count on Nato support for a war in Asia
3-MIN READ3-MINSebastian Contin Trillo-FigueroaPublished: 8:30pm, 1 Apr 2026The United States attacked Iran without consulting its European allies. President Donald Trump assumed the operation would be a quick win, over before anyone had to take a position. Instead, Washington answered a question Western governments had long avoided.
Iran and Taiwan are different cases. One sits on Europe’s wider periphery and carries immediate consequences for energy, migration and regional spillover. The other lies in East Asia and turns on the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. Yet both confront Washington with the same problem. Political alignment is one thing; military participation in a campaign shaped on American terms is another.
Should China be concerned about the latest Japan-Philippines security pact?
