Archive / Policy Brief
NATO turns 60: how can it stay healthy?
01/04/2009 By Jos Boonstra
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| G.Shkullaku/AFP/Getty Images |
On 3 and 4 April NATO will celebrate its 60th birthday at a summit that will take place in France (Strasbourg) and Germany (Kehl/Baden Baden). The good news is that NATO is welcoming France back into its military structures and members are largely united on NATO’s key roles: offering security guarantees; fostering transatlantic relations; and undertaking more effective operations.
Albania and Croatia will join the Alliance during this summit; nonetheless, Macedonia and NATO member Greece have not come to terms over the long-running name issue, blocking the former’s membership. Other bad news concerns the war in Afghanistan, where the continued fighting is severely complicating and delaying development and reconstruction efforts. Not all members are willing to invest by sending troops and taking casualties.
Further bad news comes from Russia, which persists in seeing NATO as an enemy bloc instead of a partner; Georgia and Ukraine remain victimised by this prolonged situation. At 60 no member of NATO is thinking of the Alliance’s retirement. Nonetheless, the Alliance will need to adapt further to the current international environment and new security challenges. During the summit NATO will need to be decisive on its future and send a clear message as to the relevance and urgency of the tasks that lie ahead.
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Keywords
Europe NATO Peacekeeping Post conflictRelated publications
- NATO struggles with an opium-funded war in Afghanistan
- NATO's Role in Democratic Reform
- NATO: what to expect from the Bucharest Summit
Bio author: Jos Boonstra
Jos Boonstra is a senior researcher at FRIDE.He is currently coordinating the EU-Central Asia Monitoring (EUCAM) project.
