1. NATO at 75: Success Through Adaptation
- Author:
- Hans Binnendijk
- Publication Date:
- 08-2024
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- American Diplomacy
- Institution:
- American Diplomacy
- Abstract:
- Despite multiple crises over its 75-year history, NATO remains the world’s most successful alliance. It has achieved success by continually adapting to changing threats and global conditions. What many see as a weakness – decision making by consensus – has proven to be NATO’s strength. With every member holding a veto, extreme care must be taken to achieve agreed outcomes. This often takes time and an incremental approach. Strong American leadership has been required to avoid excessive delays and least common denominator outcomes. As contentious issues built up over the decades, the alliance has used small leadership groups, 34 summits, countless foreign and defense ministers’ meetings, eight strategic concepts and several special reports to adapt its policies and retain its unity. NATO is now in what might be seen as the fifth phase of its 75-year history. The first two phases were during the Cold War. The third phase was the immediate post-Cold War decade. The fourth concentrated on international terrorism. Today the focus is back on major power competition. NATO’s strategic adaptation since 2014 has continued to be incremental from summit to summit, but the cumulative impact is profound.
- Topic:
- NATO, Alliance, Crisis Management, and Adaptation
- Political Geography:
- Europe and North America