{"id":6226,"date":"2019-12-12T19:40:18","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T19:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/box5917.temp.domains\/~iriacom\/\/news\/?p=6226"},"modified":"2019-12-13T21:41:15","modified_gmt":"2019-12-13T21:41:15","slug":"5-key-takeaways-from-nato-summit-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/5-key-takeaways-from-nato-summit-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"5 key takeaways from NATO summit 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

NATO leaders conclude acrimonious summit 2019 with focusing on current and future threats<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Sana Jamal<\/em><\/p>\n

When the world\u2019s most powerful alliance was established 70 years ago, NATO\u2019s first Secretary General Lord Ismay defined its mission as to \u201ckeep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.\u201d Decades later, after the collapse of Soviet Union and unification of Germany and later its military decline, there is only the \u201cAmericans in\u201d part that is relevant and in fact so integral that it is keeping the alliance alive. But at what cost? Americans have been complaining about spending most on the alliance and the U.S. President Donald Trump who thinks NATO is \u201cobsolete\u201d even discussed leaving the defense bloc altogether. Meanwhile, in Europe, the French leader proclaimed the \u201cbrain death\u201d of the alliance and Turkey is demanding more support from NATO in Syria while the alliance could not come up with a common definition of terrorism \u2013 its current biggest threat. Amidst the internal divisions and strife so vividly on display during the NATO 2019 summit<\/a><\/span>, here are the five key takeaways that describe the current focus of the group:<\/p>\n

1. Threat from China and 5G technology<\/span><\/h3>\n

For the first time in 70 years, NATO acknowledged the challenges posed by China\u2019s technological prowess, economic rise and military ambitions. Mentioning China\u2019s new hypersonic missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles able to reach Europe and North America, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the group is exploring ways to include China in arms control arrangements. However, he insisted that the bloc did not want to make Beijing an adversary.<\/p>\n

European<\/a><\/span> countries that found themselves caught in the crossfire between the United States and China on the 5G competition after the U.S. pressured its European allies to ban the 5G rollout by Huawei, calling it a national security risk. In the London Declaration, NATO<\/span><\/a> and its allies pledged to address the new technologies, ensure the security of communication including 5G, while enhancing tools to respond to cyber-attacks. The statement, albeit lukewarm, implies that European leaders are toeing the U.S. line but still are divided whether China should be considered a threat. China\u2019s Belt and Road initiative and \u201817+1\u2019 framework designed for cooperation between China<\/a><\/span> and Central and Eastern European countries as well as the \u20ac1.5 billion (US$1.9 million) China-EU trade highlights deepening Chinese partnership with Europeans.<\/p>\n

2. Russia \u2013 adversary or ally?<\/span><\/h3>\n

While deliberating on the role of its traditional adversary, NATO members appeared deeply divided as they vowed \u201cstrong deterrence\u201d but welcomed \u201cmeaningful dialogue\u201d with Russia. \u201cWe believe in the dual-track approach, meaning deterrence, defense and dialogue\u201d the NATO chief stated. The London Declaration termed Russia\u2019s aggressive actions \u201ca threat to Euro-Atlantic security\u201d and said the alliance is addressing Russia\u2019s deployment of new intermediate-range missiles. At the same time, the statement called to strive for a better relationship with Russia<\/a><\/span> calling it NATO\u2019s closest and biggest neighbor, adding that the bloc remains open \u201cto a constructive relationship with Russia.\u201d As French President Macron stressed for the need for strategic dialogue with Russia earlier and Germany and Italy become increasingly dependent on Russian natural gas, it is evident why the NATO members consider Russia more of a partner than an adversary.<\/p>\n

3. Is Turkey emerging as a key NATO ally?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan standing right beside the U.S. President Trump in the group photo at the NATO Summit in London on Dec. 4, the gestures of the two leaders and their meetings on the sidelines tells one thing: Turkey<\/span><\/a> is emerging as a key NATO member at least in the eyes of U.S. French leader, on the other hand, questioned Turkey\u2019s abstruse role after Syria offensive targeting Kurdish militias and accused the country of working with ISIS proxies, blaming the alliance for not having a single definition of terrorism to tackle the threat. Turkish leader hit back saying: \u201cWe do not know what France means for NATO but Turkey, with its second-largest army, is its most important member. If it was not for Turkey, terrorists would be heading to Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interestingly, bloc\u2019s three most difficult members are in fact NATO\u2019s top three troops contributor with 1.34 million U.S. troops followed by Turkey’s 435,000 and France<\/a> with its 208,000 troops rank third. Turkey\u2019s frequent threats to open its borders and let millions of refugees into Europe and later its purchase of Russian S-400 air defense<\/a> system made it a thorn in everyone\u2019s side. The NATO chief, however, termed it \u201ca national, Turkish decision\u201d adding \u201cS-400 would never be integrated into NATO\u201d further boosting Turkey\u2019s position in the coalition.<\/p>\n

4. Rift between Trump and the Transatlantic allies<\/span><\/h3>\n

Since 2016, President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized its European allies, pressuring them to increase defense spending, saying the U.S. is bearing the \u201cbiggest brunt of it\u201d. Only nine of the 29 NATO members have met the 2 percent target while the U.S. spends about 3.4% of its GDP on defense (being a global superpower it spends far more on defense than any country in the world). In response, the NATO Sec. Gen. said, it is the fifth year of rising defense investment and European Allies and Canada have added 130 billion US dollars which they aim to rise to US$400 billion by the end of 2024.<\/p>\n

However, the rift between the U.S. and its Transatlantic allies is becoming apparent day by day as there have been calls for the creation of a \u201ctrue European army\u201d within key NATO members. While, the U.S. may complain about having to pay most of the cost and pretend that it does not need the alliance but the fact remains that without NATO, it would have to spend billions more to maintain its global presence as a superpower. U.S. has always led the alliance both politically and militarily, leaving little hope for group’s survival on its own in the near future, as many believe there is no NATO without the U.S.<\/p>\n

5. Can Terrorism become NATO\u2019s key agenda and basis of unity?<\/span><\/h3>\n

At the London Summit, the European allies vowed 100 percent ironclad commitment to its key Article 5 that states that if one ally is attacked, it will be considered an attack on the whole alliance. The fact that the only time the group invoked Article 5 in 7 decades was in response to the terror attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, serves as a reminder how terror threat can unify NATO allies in times of discord.<\/p>\n

\u201cTerrorism in all its forms and manifestations remains a persistent threat to us all\u201d the leaders noted in the statement. It is perhaps time for NATO to shift its focus from one country to global issues. Terrorism is a bigger threat to NATO than Russia and China, according to the French President. \u201cOur common enemy today is terrorism, which has hit each of our countries,\u201d Macron declared and also lamented the fact that the alliance is doing little to counter-terrorism as the group doesn\u2019t even \u201chave the same definition of terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Central and Eastern European states may still consider Russia as top threat and others demand action on illegal migration, the global threat of terrorism may help bring the much-needed unity in the group. The resolve, capacity and means to fight terrorism, however, remain another challenge for the alliance.<\/p>\n

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Sana Jamal is an award-winning journalist\u00a0who writes on foreign policy and geostrategic affairs.<\/i><\/p>\n

Note: The above opinions are the personal views of individual authors or contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IRIA.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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