Is there a future for NATO?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should build durable ties with other key regional partners in the Middle East and North Africa such as Morocco, a report by US think tank Atlantic Council dubbed “Anchoring the Alliance” said.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Is-there-a-futu...
"Anchoring the Alliance" argues that NATO is a force multiplier for the United States and remains essential to addressing the security challenges of a globalized world. The report was written by R. Nicholas Burns - Atlantic Council Board director, former under secretary of state, and former US ambassador to NATO.Heserved as the project chairman, with Atlantic Council executive vice president Damon Wilson as the project director, and International Security Program deputy director Jeff Lightfoot served as rapporteur.
In the report, Burns argues that for NATO to remain central in the coming decade, the United States will have to provide strong leadership of the Alliance, Europe must maintain its aspirations for global leadership, and the Alliance as a whole must strengthen its engagement with global partners.
It is difficult to agree with the conclusions of this report for several reasons. Nato's raison d'etre was the reinforcement of Europe during the cold war where it faced highly trained communist forces who had taken control of large parts of eastern Europe and they were backed by long range and tactical nuclear weapons.Huge armies equipped with the latest tanks and armoured vehicles faced each other. Large numbers of the armed forces of the Nato countries were based in Germany to counter an attack by Warsaw pact forces and hold them until Nato reinforcements arrived from America to push the enemy back. Exercises were held every month . A nuclear exchange was regarded as a possibility.
Some Nato forces are still based in the now unified Germany but the world has changed dramatically. The Soviet Union has collapsed and is repaced by the Russian Republic.The Warsaw pact countries are now part of the European Union.
Europe seriously threatened with the collapse of the euro and economic slowdown is not disposed to field large and costly armed forces and all EU states,particularly the UK have drastically reduced their armed forces and manpower.France will exit Afghanistan by the end of this year and the strain on the armed forces engaged in Afghanistan has taken its toll in casualties andthe subjection of soldiers to long term operations because there are fewer of them.
The Libyan conflict using Nato and allied forces as well as special forcesachieved the end of Gadaffi's regime but like Iraq and Afghanistan has failed to establish a secure and functiong civil society post conflict.It is difficult to see another intervention by Nato forces even if sanctioned by the UN other than by air intervention.
The report says that the US must contribute more to Nato but there has always been resistance from the EU to this even when Nato was a stronger entity than it is now.The EU has also made some moves to establishing its own force which may be a sensible alternative.
It is not sure that François Hollande will agree to France's reintegration in Nato as it has mainatined its current relationshipwith Nato for many years.
It is not certain that all EU governments want to folow US leadership in Nato as the UK still does. The question "what is the purpose of Nato in the 21'st century?" Is a legitamate question.
As the report points out the US itself has decided to cut US$ 294 billion from its military budget and the UK has adopted such heavy cuts that the US has expressed concern as to whether it can remain as an effective military power and whether David Cameron will be inany position to increase military expenditure after 2015.
The report says that "Germany must match its economic power with the strategic ambition and military capability to contribute more strongly to Alliance operations worldwide." There is no sign whatever that Germany is about to do this.Germany like France is eager to exit Afghanistan and it played no part in the Libyan conflict. It is true that there has been sustained criticism in Germany of foreign policy under Chancellor Merkel and a feeling that Germany has been left isolated on the international stage
Whilst Germany is likely to use economic rather than military force in the future although this could change, at least Germany's finances are in better order than the rest of Europe.
The days of massed divisons facing a common enemy are over and mobile forces ready to deal with terrorist threats are more the order of the day. The growing Al Qaeda threat in the Sahel is a case in point because unless effective action is taken very quickly the situation could get out of hand. This is where advanced satellite surveillance, special forces and remote piloted vehicles with their missiles could be put to good use. Across such vast areas of desert there is probably no other way.Nato's command and control structure can also provide invaluable back up to locally engaged forces.
As a support to regionally engaged forces Nato can have a future but the lessons of Libya suggest that a direct engagement by Nato forces will be a rarer occurence in the future.
Working with the UN,the African Union and ECOWAS and other regional organisations will become the norm.
Eventually there will come a moment when large ground forces are needed , what happens then will be up to fate as it was with the fall of the Roman Empire and so many others.
In the report, Burns argues that for NATO to remain central in the coming decade, the United States will have to provide strong leadership of the Alliance, Europe must maintain its aspirations for global leadership, and the Alliance as a whole must strengthen its engagement with global partners.
It is difficult to agree with the conclusions of this report for several reasons. Nato's raison d'etre was the reinforcement of Europe during the cold war where it faced highly trained communist forces who had taken control of large parts of eastern Europe and they were backed by long range and tactical nuclear weapons.Huge armies equipped with the latest tanks and armoured vehicles faced each other. Large numbers of the armed forces of the Nato countries were based in Germany to counter an attack by Warsaw pact forces and hold them until Nato reinforcements arrived from America to push the enemy back. Exercises were held every month . A nuclear exchange was regarded as a possibility.
Some Nato forces are still based in the now unified Germany but the world has changed dramatically. The Soviet Union has collapsed and is repaced by the Russian Republic.The Warsaw pact countries are now part of the European Union.
Europe seriously threatened with the collapse of the euro and economic slowdown is not disposed to field large and costly armed forces and all EU states,particularly the UK have drastically reduced their armed forces and manpower.France will exit Afghanistan by the end of this year and the strain on the armed forces engaged in Afghanistan has taken its toll in casualties andthe subjection of soldiers to long term operations because there are fewer of them.
The Libyan conflict using Nato and allied forces as well as special forcesachieved the end of Gadaffi's regime but like Iraq and Afghanistan has failed to establish a secure and functiong civil society post conflict.It is difficult to see another intervention by Nato forces even if sanctioned by the UN other than by air intervention.
The report says that the US must contribute more to Nato but there has always been resistance from the EU to this even when Nato was a stronger entity than it is now.The EU has also made some moves to establishing its own force which may be a sensible alternative.
It is not sure that François Hollande will agree to France's reintegration in Nato as it has mainatined its current relationshipwith Nato for many years.
It is not certain that all EU governments want to folow US leadership in Nato as the UK still does. The question "what is the purpose of Nato in the 21'st century?" Is a legitamate question.
As the report points out the US itself has decided to cut US$ 294 billion from its military budget and the UK has adopted such heavy cuts that the US has expressed concern as to whether it can remain as an effective military power and whether David Cameron will be inany position to increase military expenditure after 2015.
The report says that "Germany must match its economic power with the strategic ambition and military capability to contribute more strongly to Alliance operations worldwide." There is no sign whatever that Germany is about to do this.Germany like France is eager to exit Afghanistan and it played no part in the Libyan conflict. It is true that there has been sustained criticism in Germany of foreign policy under Chancellor Merkel and a feeling that Germany has been left isolated on the international stage
Whilst Germany is likely to use economic rather than military force in the future although this could change, at least Germany's finances are in better order than the rest of Europe.
The days of massed divisons facing a common enemy are over and mobile forces ready to deal with terrorist threats are more the order of the day. The growing Al Qaeda threat in the Sahel is a case in point because unless effective action is taken very quickly the situation could get out of hand. This is where advanced satellite surveillance, special forces and remote piloted vehicles with their missiles could be put to good use. Across such vast areas of desert there is probably no other way.Nato's command and control structure can also provide invaluable back up to locally engaged forces.
As a support to regionally engaged forces Nato can have a future but the lessons of Libya suggest that a direct engagement by Nato forces will be a rarer occurence in the future.
Working with the UN,the African Union and ECOWAS and other regional organisations will become the norm.
Eventually there will come a moment when large ground forces are needed , what happens then will be up to fate as it was with the fall of the Roman Empire and so many others.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Is-there-a-futu...