NATO TEN YEARS AFTER - LEARNING THE LESSONS –
NATO TEN YEARS AFTER - LEARNING THE LESSONS –

Summary/Abstract: The author argues that, in retrospect, instead of heralding NATO’s decline, “09/11” became the catalyst for the most fundamental changes in NATO’s history. Yet, for the NATO allies, the questions they had to ponder from the outset were as obvious as they were profound. Without agonising debate, NATO moved from a geographical to a functional understanding of security. This shift proved to be more significant in ensuring NATO’s future relevance than any other change it has undergone in its history. Today’s NATO is far more experienced in conducting complex operations far from home than it was before “9/11” and the subsequent Afghanistan mission. Moreover, the experience that NATO gained in training indigenous security forces may also provide a valuable asset in other contingencies – for example, in post-Qadhafi Libya.

• Details
• Contents