New RD Publication: Calibrating the scope of NATO’s mandate

• NDC Policy Brief 24-19: Calibrating the scope of NATO’s mandate, by Thierry Tardy *.

Anniversaries are opportunities to look back at what
has been achieved and to look forward to what ought
to be changed and, possibly, improved. Having reached
a mature age, an anniversary can also be an occasion to
ponder deeper questions of self-identity, purpose and
ambition.

In 2019 NATO turned 70, and if, overall, it can be
proud of what it has achieved for the security of its
citizens since 1949, there are also challenges that constrain
its full success as a security actor. More specifically,
since 2014, the combination of the Alliance’s two main
missions of “deterrence and defence” and “projecting
stability”, furthermore in a context of transatlantic turbulence
and deep tension among member states, has
raised a number of questions about NATO’s capacity to
remain united and fit for purpose.

While the security environment is increasingly complex,
with constantly evolving threats, and adversaries
challenging established state actors and the way they
fight, how should NATO further adapt to remain relevant?
While conflicts are increasingly “hybrid”, should
NATO embrace the largest portfolio possible to match
the various layers of hybridity, or should it stay focused
on what it does best – delivering hard power? Probably
both: staying focused might be an option in an ideal
world, but in fact, broadening the scope of NATO’s
mandate will be difficult to resist.

Download the publication to keep reading.

More Research Division Publications…

NDC Public Affairs Office