Someone must have bought Emmanuel Macron a map. How else to explain his amazing geographical discovery that Japan is not, in fact, located in the North Atlantic?

For those not keeping up with the wild, wooly world of geopolitricks, this latest round of cartographic confusion began to unfold last month when the increasingly inaccurately named North Atlantic Treaty Organization announced it was planning to open a “liaison office” in Japan despite the fact that (by all accounts) the Japanese archipelago remains firmly situated in the Pacific. Earlier this month, French president Macron lodged his reservations about the plan, warning that if NATO enlarges its geographic reach too much, “we will make a big mistake.”

That NATO would seek to extend its reach beyond its supposed North Atlantic regional remit is hardly surprising. In fact, as anyone following the rise of the Evil Empire will know all too well, NATO has been involved in a process of truly global expansion for decades now. But still, France’s objection to this brazen attempt by NATO to stray from its nominal North Atlantic confines presents a new twist on the story.

So, what does all of this mean? And if it isn’t reined in, where will NATO be heading next? Let’s find out, shall we? . . .

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