The end of World War II in 1945 exposed the vulnerabilities and security concerns embedded in the victorious Grand Alliance. Within years, the coalition collapsed and pitted its preeminent members—the United States and the Soviet Union—against each other in vehement political confrontation. Rapidly the international system deteriorated into intensely hostile bipolarity, locking the two superpowers into a decades-long security competition. In the formative years of this Cold War, Western powers established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a collective security arrangement designed to deter the threat of Soviet aggression and expansion into Europe. The security alliance committed to protecting its European members from belligerence and vowed retaliation against attack or violations of territorial integrity.
Since the end of the Cold War and dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, however, Europe has enjoyed a complacent, relatively unchallenged sense of security, evidenced, among other things, by European states’ reductions in defense budgets. NATO persists, yet absent external threat its relevance in contemporary international politics is often disputed. However, given the recent upheaval in Ukraine and overtly aggressive Russian interference, a resurgent, relevant NATO is returning to its origins in deterrence and security.
On September 4th and 5th, heads of state and governments from the NATO member states will assemble in Wales to vet the current international political landscape. Originally intended to mark the cessation of combat operations in Afghanistan, the recent and alarming destabilization of Eastern Europe gives the summit a previously unexpected degree of significance. Russian aggression in Ukraine prompted NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to declare that the Wales summit will be among the most important in NATO’s 65-year history. Accordingly, the agenda for this week’s congress of NATO leaders is dedicated to definitively addressing the Ukraine crisis, assessing relations with Russia, reaffirming solemn commitment to protecting member states, improving collaboration with partners, and devising a strong collective security plan to parity international threats.
The Wales agenda is indicative of the contemporary relevance of, and need for, a strong and cohesive security alliance. That alliance was forged in the crucible of great power security competition, and surely security concerns have not been eradicated. Russian President Vladimir Putin is deeply distrustful of NATO and has long viewed it as an adversary. His suspicion of the West and concern over Russia’s own security issues have caused him to increase defense spending over the past several years and perform military exercises near NATO’s borders. Furthermore, he has indicated his commitment to take action wherever the rights and interests of anyone of Russian decent are ostensibly endangered. This policy destabilizes the security of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—all NATO members with ethnic Russian minorities. The West has also indicated its insecurity at Russia’s maneuvers: Rasmussen called for European states to halt reductions in defense spending, signaling that their contributions to collective security are necessary. In an increasingly unsettled Eastern Europe, U.S. President Barack Obama traveled to Estonia prior to the Wales summit in a symbolic act of reassurance. He affirmed NATO commitment to its members, condemned Russian aggression in Ukraine, and called it a threat to European peace and security.
This week’s summit in Wales will prove pivotal for NATO. The revealing developments in Ukraine, although not a NATO member, caused Rasmussen to reiterate that security cannot be taken for granted. He observed that NATO is needed more than ever, and encouraged members to do more, to do it better, and to share the responsibility of collective security. The Wales summit is thus appropriately designed to facilitate the evolution of NATO, to equip it with the necessary policies and structure to remain relevant and effective in ensuring security in a rapidly changing world.
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NATO Looks to its Future In Wales [Video]
September 4, 2014
The end of World War II in 1945 exposed the vulnerabilities and security concerns embedded in the victorious Grand Alliance. Within years, the coalition collapsed and pitted its preeminent members—the United States and the Soviet Union—against each other in vehement political confrontation. Rapidly the international system deteriorated into intensely hostile bipolarity, locking the two superpowers into a decades-long security competition. In the formative years of this Cold War, Western powers established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a collective security arrangement designed to deter the threat of Soviet aggression and expansion into Europe. The security alliance committed to protecting its European members from belligerence and vowed retaliation against attack or violations of territorial integrity.
Since the end of the Cold War and dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, however, Europe has enjoyed a complacent, relatively unchallenged sense of security, evidenced, among other things, by European states’ reductions in defense budgets. NATO persists, yet absent external threat its relevance in contemporary international politics is often disputed. However, given the recent upheaval in Ukraine and overtly aggressive Russian interference, a resurgent, relevant NATO is returning to its origins in deterrence and security.
On September 4th and 5th, heads of state and governments from the NATO member states will assemble in Wales to vet the current international political landscape. Originally intended to mark the cessation of combat operations in Afghanistan, the recent and alarming destabilization of Eastern Europe gives the summit a previously unexpected degree of significance. Russian aggression in Ukraine prompted NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to declare that the Wales summit will be among the most important in NATO’s 65-year history. Accordingly, the agenda for this week’s congress of NATO leaders is dedicated to definitively addressing the Ukraine crisis, assessing relations with Russia, reaffirming solemn commitment to protecting member states, improving collaboration with partners, and devising a strong collective security plan to parity international threats.
The Wales agenda is indicative of the contemporary relevance of, and need for, a strong and cohesive security alliance. That alliance was forged in the crucible of great power security competition, and surely security concerns have not been eradicated. Russian President Vladimir Putin is deeply distrustful of NATO and has long viewed it as an adversary. His suspicion of the West and concern over Russia’s own security issues have caused him to increase defense spending over the past several years and perform military exercises near NATO’s borders. Furthermore, he has indicated his commitment to take action wherever the rights and interests of anyone of Russian decent are ostensibly endangered. This policy destabilizes the security of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—all NATO members with ethnic Russian minorities. The West has also indicated its insecurity at Russia’s maneuvers: Rasmussen called for European states to halt reductions in defense spending, signaling that their contributions to collective security are necessary. In an increasingly unsettled Eastern Europe, U.S. President Barack Obama traveled to Estonia prior to the Wales summit in a symbolic act of reassurance. He affirmed NATO commitment to its members, condemned Russian aggression in Ukraine, and called it a threat to European peace and security.
This week’s summit in Wales will prove pivotal for NATO. The revealing developments in Ukraine, although not a NATO member, caused Rasmussen to reiterate that security cannot be taken for granted. He observed that NATO is needed more than ever, and encouraged members to do more, to do it better, and to share the responsibility of collective security. The Wales summit is thus appropriately designed to facilitate the evolution of NATO, to equip it with the necessary policies and structure to remain relevant and effective in ensuring security in a rapidly changing world.
