NATO – Realizing the US foreign policy objectives

At the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Summit 2008, the Summit Declaration reiterated NATO as an essential forum for security consultations between Europe and North America. The discussions at and decisions of the Summit demonstrate the kind of the partnership that exists between the European countries and the US. NATO has been and continues to remain a forum for implementing the US foreign policy objectives in Europe rather than a platform for a genuine trans-Atlantic partnership.

NATO had originated during the Cold War to counter the alleged domination of the European continent by former USSR. Though the cold war context no longer exists, NATO is rooted in its initial psychological moorings. The US continues to mentor and guide the functioning of NATO, while granting some superficial semblance of NATO as an equal partnership with the European countries.

The US insisted on allowing Georgia and Ukraine to join the NATO, while the European nations, Germany and France in particular, opposed the move. The Summit decided to review the application of Georgia and Ukraine in December 2008, which is interpreted as a success of European diplomacy vis-à-vis the US. On the controversy of the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the US eagerly towed the position adopted by the European nations. These decisions are being highlighted as an evidence of the ability of the European nations to counter the imposition of the US agenda on the continent.

Analysis of the more important decisions of the Bucharest Summit provide a better perspective of the kind of partnership that exists between the US and Europe through NATO.

The support of European states for the US sponsored comprehensive missile defense architecture has been the most prominent victory for the US at this Summit. In defending the need for missile defense President Bush had referred to past attacks like the 9/11 tragedy and the plausible threat of attack by Iran. Hence the US threat concerns clearly dictate the NATO missile defense strategy. The principle of indivisibility of allied security is a strategy by the US to realize its strategic goals on the European continent.

NATO could not be left untouched by the ongoing public diplomacy campaign of the Bush Administration. The declaration announced the launching of a new NATO TV channel on the internet which would include regular news updates and video reports, in particular from regions of Afghanistan. The rationalization for the decision was underlined through the need for providing appropriate, timely, accurate and responsive communication with local and international audiences in relation to NATO’s policies and engagements in international operations.

America’s search for reducing the burden of international responsibilities through expanding partnerships is reflected in the Summit Declaration. Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, Partnership for Peace, Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the recently evolved individual Tailored Cooperation Packages indicate the diverse ways in which the US is building alliances through NATO to create multiple centers for sharing responsibility.

In keeping with the emerging concerns over America’s non-military challenges in Iraq and Afghanistan the Declaration refers to a comprehensive approach to address the future security issues. Equal importance of employing civil and military instruments in NATO operations was emphasized. The US fears withdrawal from Iraq would embolden local militias supported by Iran and thereby complicate its efforts at sustaining a Middle East peace process. The term of the NATO Training Mission in Iraq was extended through 2009 upon the request of the Iraqi government. The declaration highlighted the need to develop and field modern, interoperable, flexible and sustainable forces. These forces are expected to conduct, upon decision by the Council, collective defense and crisis response operations on and beyond Alliance territory, on its periphery, and at strategic distance, with little or no host nation support. This sounds much like the agenda of an activist US foreign policy.

The energy demands in the US are rising and so is the unrest among the oil-exporting countries which has led NATO to delineate a more prominent role in the field of energy security. NATO is expected to engage in the following fields: information and intelligence fusion and sharing; projecting stability; advancing international and regional cooperation; supporting consequence management; and supporting the protection of critical energy infrastructure. The Council in Permanent Session has been tasked to prepare a consolidated report on the progress achieved in the area of energy security for consideration at the 2009 Summit.

On substantive issues the US has dominated the stage, while the European countries played a decisive role with regard to certain procedural and membership issues. The US diplomacy has worked at its best in giving to the European nations a victory point for basking in the glories of an equal partnership with the US, while realizing vital strategic and political objectives of the US policy on the Continent.