Americans these days have a variety of views, just as do the French, Germans, Dutch, Brits, and even the Russians. It is their regimes however who act on their behalves, for better or worse. What NATO invoked in 2001 and what member nations aim for in 2019 are not necessarily in step with each other. Regimes come and go, others persist in various forms to threaten the security of others. That is what NATO is supposed to be about, but only if it is given the moral support to do so from both sides of the pond.