Is NATO Prepared for the Future? Reflections on NATO 2030: United for a New Era
How well is NATO prepared for the future? NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg asked former German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizi猫re and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Wess Mitchell to co-chair an independent Reflection Group to take up the challenge.
Join Thomas de Maizi猫re and Wess Mitchell in conversation with Global Europe Program Director Dan Hamilton about the Group鈥檚 findings and recommendations for the future of the Alliance in their report, . Congressman and President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Gerry Connolly will give introductory remarks.
Selected Quotes
Thomas de Maizi茅re
鈥淚 think what NATO needs is 鈥 I can put it very short 鈥 more relevance, more trust, and more efficiency. I鈥檓 talking in political terms.鈥
鈥淲e should not change NATO as an institution where we [impose] our moral stances on our countries. On Supreme Court issues, on voting system issues and so on and so forth. This would be helping our systemic rivals to interfere there, that鈥檚 what they are doing.鈥
鈥淐yber-attacks may trigger Article V. This is quite an important sentence. This sentence has consequences鈥 Dealing with cyber-attacks must be part of the deterrence concept.鈥
Wess Mitchell
鈥淪trategic adaptation is required for NATO in order to survive. That鈥檚 true for all organizations, you can鈥檛 operate without understanding and intelligently relating to your surroundings. NATO's longevity has been the result of its ability to accurately read the cues of its external environment and change itself accordingly.鈥
鈥淣ATO is the only organization that can be the principle venue for organizing the West for this period of more intense geopolitical but also ideological competition.鈥
鈥淥ur report highlights the fact that these are authoritarian states [China and Russia] from which the West has to distinguish itself. Not just on principled grounds but on security grounds in denying them the advantage of undermining Western societies from within.鈥
Gerry Connolly
鈥淓verything we do to promote democracy is juxtaposed against the alternative - the authoritarian alternative. There is a narrative that we鈥檝e got to counter. That narrative comes from Putin and Xi saying: we can deliver economic prosperity, we can improve your quality of life and the deal, the exchange is, you agree to the compromise of freedoms, pretty fundamentally.鈥
鈥淲here we find member nations straying, we call it out. It鈥檚 not okay to compromise your judiciary to the point where you鈥檙e compromising the rule of law and independence on that judiciary. Not okay to crack down on the press. It鈥檚 not okay to try to suppress political dissent and the opposition.鈥
鈥淏iden is absolutely an internationalist. He is absolutely committed to the sacred nature, from his point of view, of the trans-Atlantic alliance. He is absolutely committed to the United States playing a leadership role, in partnership however with our allies.鈥
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Global Europe Program
The Global Europe Program is focused on Europe鈥檚 capabilities, and how it engages on critical global issues. We investigate European approaches to critical global issues. We examine Europe鈥檚 relations with Russia and Eurasia, China and the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Our initiatives include 鈥淯kraine in Europe鈥濃攁n examination of what it will take to make Ukraine鈥檚 European future a reality. But we also examine the role of NATO, the European Union and the OSCE, Europe鈥檚 energy security, transatlantic trade disputes, and challenges to democracy. The Global Europe Program鈥檚 staff, scholars-in-residence, and Global Fellows participate in seminars, policy study groups, and international conferences to provide analytical recommendations to policy makers and the media. Read more
Canada Institute
The mission of the 乐鱼 体育's Canada Institute is to raise the level of knowledge of Canada in the United States, particularly within the Washington, DC policy community. Research projects, initiatives, podcasts, and publications cover contemporary Canada, US-Canadian relations, North American political economy, and Canada's global role as it intersects with US national interests. Read more