The Crisis Room Is Nato's worst nightmare about to become a reality?
Jan 8, 2026
Former UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace shares his insights on NATO and the potential fallout from a US exit. He discusses the implications for the alliance, Europe’s military financing needs, and the urgency for rearmament amid fears of a US invasion of Greenland. Wallace sheds light on his lunch with Donald Trump and critiques the NATO spending target, expressing concerns about public support for defense funding. He also addresses the feasibility of deploying UK troops to Ukraine and the challenge of European military independence from US technology.
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Tactical Success, Strategic Failure
- Marc Polymeropoulos credits US special operations and CIA for tactical brilliance in the Maduro capture but faults the lack of a coherent strategic 'day after' plan.
- He warns operational success can be undone by strategic incompetence and poor post-action planning.
Analytic Scar Tissue Risks Bad Choices
- Marc Polymeropoulos argues CIA analysts erred by recommending keeping Maduro's apparatus intact to avoid chaos, comparing it to Iraq's de-bathification mistakes.
- He contends decapitation without democracy-building risks leaving a corrupt regime and fuels perceptions the U.S. acts 'for the oil.'
A Lunch That Turned Into Golf Diplomacy
- Sir Ben Wallace recounts lunch with Donald Trump at a NATO event where Trump obsessed about golf and linked Brexit to his business views.
- Wallace says Trump spent an hour discussing golf after learning Wallace's ancestor had golfing success.