Berlin-born political scientist Herfried Münkler has warned that a NATO Article 5 activation over the Iran conflict would have dire consequences, saying it would end the alliance. In an interview with “Handelsblatt”‘s Tuesday edition, he explained, “Activating Article 5 would turn the alliance from a defensive to an offensive one”. He added that “any member could then attack any country it pleased, and once it found itself in trouble it could call on the support of others”.
Münkler contrasted this potential scenario with Afghanistan, the only country so far to invoke Article 5. In that case the United States could justify attacks against al‑Qaida as a direct response to the September 11 th terror attacks.
He noted that “it is possible to think about helping the U.S. with the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, given that blocking the waterway can be argued to be an attack on world trade”. However, he argued that Europeans would have to demand a price: “They must seek a stronger U.S. backing for Ukraine, because Russia’s invasion of the country is, de facto, an attack on Europe”.
In his view, the very debate over whether to activate the NATO assistance clause illustrates how the U.S. military action against Iran was poorly planned.