SECURITY AND NATO PERSPECTIVES AFTER THE BUCHAREST SUMMIT Cover Image

SECURITY AND NATO PERSPECTIVES AFTER THE BUCHAREST SUMMIT
SECURITY AND NATO PERSPECTIVES AFTER THE BUCHAREST SUMMIT

Author(s): Corneliu Dobriţoiu
Subject(s): Security and defense, Military policy, Peace and Conflict Studies
Published by: Carol I National Defence University Publishing House
Keywords: NATO; MAP; IPAP; ISAF; KFOR; NRF; NATO transformation; security;

Summary/Abstract: One of the most ample diplomatic events in the history of the Alliance – the Bucharest Summit – brought back on the agenda of the High Representatives from the Member States but also from the Partner Countries, topics of major importance for the Euro-Atlantic security. After the Riga Summit1 , the Bucharest high-level meeting was conceived from the very beginning as a transition towards the 2009 anniversary2 summit. Now, at conclusions time, one can certainly assert that the 2-4 April reunion in Bucharest raised a special interest for the international community, while bringing together, for the first time in an extended framework, all the decision-making actors with a role in ensuring and preserving a stable security environment. In spite of the apparent division of opinion within the Alliance that impacted upon the achievement of consensus on certain points of the agenda, the solutions that were finally imposed demonstrated once more the existence of a constructive diplomacy in all Member States, which allowed a cooperative resolution of disagreements, in line with the indivisibility of Allies’ security principle. We will point out, in this paper, the main subjects that generated decisions of the Heads of State and Government and the impact of these resolutions. From the enlargement of the North Atlantic Alliance to the discussion concerning the possible development of a missile defence allied system, complementary to the US efforts, the defence transformation in general and the future of Afghanistan by supporting the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the Bucharest Summit concurred to the resolution of several issues, relevant for both, the Allies and their Partners’ security. Obviously, taking into account the security context specific to the current international environment, the strategic opportunities opened by the decisions taken at Bucharest leave place for further debates, a real food – for – thought for future analysis. Nonetheless, we shall focus, further on, rather upon NATO’s positive evolutions, respectively upon the Summit resolutions, on specific areas of interest for the Allies and their Partners, while trying to estimate the direction in which the Alliance will develop its potential until the next meeting at the highest level.

  • Issue Year: 2008
  • Issue No: 27
  • Page Range: 5-10
  • Page Count: 6
  • Language: English