NATO’s Transformation and global Security

Abstract

In terms of its temporal coverage supplementing the contribution of Trine Flockhart in Part II of this volume, this chapter examines the implications of ongoing changes in the global security environment for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since the early 2000s. It demonstrates that NATO’s relevance as a security institution has been a reflection of the global distribution of power since its founding in 1949. Today, NATO faces new emerging global security challenges. But its capacity for adapting to these challenges has not been met by a commensurate investment of resources and will by the member states. We argue that as a consequence members must prioritize better.