News
NATO's growing pains
November 23, 2005. Peter van Ham examines in this fall's edition of NATO Review the challenges NATO is facing as it takes on an increasingly global role. He argues that NATO's overflowing policy agenda is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, the Alliance is no longer held back by its "out-of-area" debate. On the other, it seems that today no security challenge falls outside NATO's remit.
NATO is not only boldly going beyond Allied territory, it is increasingly expected to take on everything from fighting international terrorism, through dealing with the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, contributing to the democratisation of the Greater Middle East, training Iraqi security forces and supporting the African Union's peacekeeping operation in Darfur. The many initiatives, activities and operations on the NATO agenda reflect Alliance efforts to meet the challenges of a changing strategic environment and are critical to keeping the Alliance relevant in terms of US foreign policy. The Alliance has initiated an ambitious transformation process. But the spirit of transformation has yet to impact NATO’s Strategic Concept, which remains unchanged since April 1999. Although the Allies have to date chosen not to open this potential can of worms, Van Ham argues that developing a new Strategic Concept may, nevertheless, be the transatlantic catharsis the Alliance requires.