NATO's Future: At the Heart of a Global Security System
Zbigniew Brzezinski | Foreign Affairs | September 2009
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) today represents the strongest military and political alliance in the world. Its member states on both sides of the Atlantic are situated in the planet's best developed areas, in terms of social modernization and political democratization, technological advancement, economic prosperity and productivity. The 900 million people living in North America and Europe make up only 13% of the world's inhabitants, but account for 45% of global GDP. The weight of the transatlantic alliance internationally can hardly be underestimated. NATO's importance worldwide however entails that the organization pay far greater attention to global security concerns in the future.
Relations with other global players remain difficult - from dealing with self-assured China, to an imperially nostalgic Russia, and an increasingly vocal and assertive India. Furthermore, no longer do individual states - such as North Korea - denote the only threat to the international order. Increasingly, political and religious groups are capable of endangering international peace. NATO will need to adapt to these changes in the distribution of power worldwide. In particular, the alliance will have to engage Russia and Asia more actively. Europe's security depends considerably on improved ties between Russia and NATO. In view of rising membership numbers and global security threats, NATO will also have to reconsider one provision of the North Atlantic Treaty which stipulates that the alliance's decisions be arrived at by consensus. That opens the door to one or more member states issuing a de-facto veto and hampering the decision-making process. This in turn severely restricts the alliance's freedom of action. Redefining consensus along the lines of a majority vote would greatly improve the situation.
Finally, NATO cannot and should not become a global security alliance. Certainly, it will have to continue to pay heed to security concerns beyond its borders, but that does not mean it needs to have members across the globe. NATO should not forsake its transatlantic identity. By preserving its distinctiveness and making use of its vast arsenal of experience, institutions, and resources, NATO should position itself at the heart of a globe-spanning system of regional cooperative security organizations. Only by functioning as a hub connecting various security networks can NATO rise to the challenge of securing peace in the 21st century.
This summary was prepared by the Atlantic Community editorial team from "An Agenda for NATO" published here by Foreign Affairs.
