Defense & Security Archive

NATO foreign ministers meet in Washington this week to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the alliance. There is much to commemorate and reflect on. But this anniversary also provides a unique opportunity to look ahead and consider what lies in store for the alliance, including questions about the long-term coherence of trans-Atlantic security ties and the current deliberations about a more autonomous European defense. Recent open letters on the future of the European project by French President Emmanuel Macron and the leader of the German Christian Democratic Union party, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, brought new impetus to ongoing discussions […]

The role of the U.S. military in Africa isn’t clear to anyone. And that will only hurt American interests. Find out more when you subscribe to World Politics Review (WPR). The U.S. military has been expanding its presence and operations in Africa over the past decade. In doing so, it has obscured the nature of its actions through ambiguous language and outright secrecy. It limits the amount of information available about the objectives of its operations, how those operations are carried out, the facilities it uses, and how it partners with governments in the region. At times, this has involved […]

The mood will be somber rather than celebratory when NATO foreign ministers gather Thursday in Washington to commemorate the organization’s 70th birthday. History’s most successful multilateral alliance has had quite a run. A tranquil retirement, however, is not in the cards. NATO’s 29 members confront a daunting agenda. The alliance is grappling with how to deter Russian aggression against its eastern flank; combat Kremlin-inspired and Kremlin-sponsored cyberattacks and political subversion; address the retreat of democracy in several member states; reinforce a still-fragile peace in the Balkans; manage an orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan; improve burden-sharing; adapt capabilities in light of technological […]