After the 9/11 attacks on America, Nato’s article 5 — which says an attack on one member is considered an attack on all — was invoked for the only time in its seven-decade history. When US forces began military action against Afghanistan, British and other Nato troops joined them. America’s withdrawal 20 years later, giving Nato allies little option but to pull out, delivers a double blow to the alliance. It has simultaneously laid bare the extent of Nato reliance on the US — and raised doubts about future American willingness to provide support to its allies.

President Joe Biden’s withdrawal announcement presented an uncomfortable fait accompli to other members of the international coalition — many of which saw their presence as a sustainable bulwark against the risks of terrorism and migration from Afghanistan. It also delivered worrying lessons about the new US leader. The Afghan pullout, and the White House’s reasoning, have demonstrated a continuity in foreign policy from the previous administration.

European Nato members had hoped Biden would repair the damage inflicted by Donald Trump, who had questioned the alliance’s usefulness and threatened to pull the US out. They also saw today’s president as a foreign policy expert committed to breathing new life into the international community of democracies. Yet Biden’s history of support for ending the Afghan war is no secret. His administration’s reasoning and its foreign policy priorities in Asia are well known.