Remember the vociferous struggle four years ago by Donald Trump, then President of the United States, against his country's allies when he demanded that they pledge at least 2% of GNP to the budget of NATO, the North Atlantic defense alliance that is supposed to keep them safe "If only five of the organization's 30 members do what is required, NATO will not be able to be a significant military force and will not be able to deter potential attackers," Trump explained.
The pleas of the American president were preferred to mock, though all his warnings were true.
What Trump failed to do, was unintentionally inflicted by Russian President Putin when he invaded Ukraine.
The Russian slap in the face woke from the coma the dozens of European countries.
The leaders and the general public suddenly realized that they could be next in line.
Countries that have turned the renunciation of military power into an ideology have realized that weakness will only encourage Putin, so they have no choice but to be strong, and strong together - for no European country alone will face the Russian bear.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the NATO alliance has experienced a real renaissance. Those commentators who were happy to eulogize it and mock its transformation into a bureaucratic and lax organization, cultivating with its dwindling budget mainly the officials and not the fighting forces, felt a 180-degree change.
The interim order no longer allows for budget cuts, and member states channel more money into NATO than Trump could have dreamed of.
At the same time, the North Atlantic Alliance is beginning to address the pace of decision-making and especially its pace of implementation.
The decision to establish a rapid response force of 300,000 troops, which was made at the summit of the member states last week, begins to be implemented immediately.
By 2023 it will already be deployed in Eastern Europe.
In the era before February 24 only the philosophies surrounding the necessity of power would take a decade.
Add to this the accession of Finland and Sweden to the ranks of the organization, which is becoming more relevant than ever.
After the collapse of the USSR, NATO was carried on the wings of fame as the winner of the Cold War, but the disappearance of the Soviet power presented it with another challenge - it had no real enemy.
About a decade ago, when NATO's pursuits ranged from leading humanitarian aid to fighting Somali pirates, many were convinced it had to get off the stage. Now its all on stage.
Were we wrong?
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