Atlantic Council

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On May 14, the Atlantic Council launched ‘Anchoring the Alliance,’ a new report authored by R. Nicholas Burns, former US undersecretary of state, permanent representative to NATO, and current Atlantic Council board director. Atlantic Council President and CEO Fred Kempe moderated the discussion.

When NATO leaders convene in Chicago later this month, the issues to be discussed—Afghanistan, capabilities, global partnerships—while important, will not by themselves address the prospect of a ‘dim, if not dismal’ future for the alliance warned against by former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates last year. Instead, NATO’s future will largely be determined by the actions of a handful of major allies, most notably the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Turkey. The strategic ambition and level of commitment shown by these key allies, and NATO’s ability to forge more effective global partnerships, will determine the course for the alliance for the next decade and beyond. Ambassador Burns’ report, ‘Anchoring the Alliance,’ argues that the Atlantic Alliance is of vital importance in today’s world and recommends practical steps these and other allies must take to ensure NATO's vitallity.

AUDIO (.mp3)

VIDEO (Courtesy of C-SPAN)

MEDIA MENTIONS

• Afghanistan Tests Obama’s Influence in NATO - Roxana Tiron, Bloomberg Businessweek
• US Think Tank Slams Germany's NATO Role - Gregor Peter Schmitz, Der Spiegel
• NATO's post-Afghanistan future unclear - Elise Labott, CNN
• Euro Strains Overshadow Obama Hosting G-8, NATO Meetings - Margaret Talev and Roxana Tiron, Bloomberg
• Damning report condemns 'unclear' British foreign policy - Hannah Furness, The Telegraph
• Why does the U.S. criticize Britain’s foreign policy? - Sergei Sayenko, The Voice of Russia
• Report: U.S.-Britain relationship weakened - UPI