Plus ça change
Günther Altenburg

The history of NATO might well be characterised as success disguised as perpetual crisis. Debates over NATO policy and strategy are not unwelcome disturbances, but constitute the very essence of the Alliance. During the Cold War, despite disagreement over strategies and their proper implementation, NATO managed to do what counted most: to convey the message that North America and Western Europe considered themselves to be a single security space. The end of the Cold War ushered the Alliance into a new period of uncertainty, with many observers arguing that the end of NATO was now a foregone conclusion. However, the Alliance was still needed - not simply as a collective defence organisation, but as a security manager in the broadest sense. NATO surmounted the greatest post-Cold War challenge presented by ethnic conflict in the former Yugoslavia and will develop new strategies and policies to deal with the challenge of terrorism. Despite this, it will not be able to shed its image of an Alliance in crisis.

New capabilities, new members, new relationships
Marc Grossman

Washington's vision for NATO ahead of the Prague Summit can be summarised as "new capabilities, new members and new relationships". As the terrorist attacks of 11 September have shown, threats can come from anywhere at any time. NATO needs to be able, at short notice, to deploy flexible, well-armed forces capable of conducting sustained operations across a range of military options. Effective defences against weapons of mass destruction must also be developed. To fight effectively alongside the United States, European forces must be comprehensively improved by identifying key capability shortfalls, pooling appropriate resources and considering country role-specialisation. Closer integration and cooperation between the United States and all European democracies is also important in the fight against terrorism. At Prague, NATO must continue to build a free and united Europe by extending membership to European countries, committed to democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. As new links are being forged with Russia, NATO must expand cooperation with all its Partners.

Crunch time for the Alliance
General Klaus Naumann

NATO must be transformed into a global Alliance, ready to defend its member countries' interests wherever they are at risk and able to act as the core of future ad hoc coalitions of the willing. Command and force structures will need to be adapted accordingly and the necessary capabilities acquired. Deployability and mobility should be the guiding principles for the adaptation of NATO's command structure, which should include the establishment of at least two Combined Joint Task Forces (CJTFs), enabling assets to be pooled and multinational component forces to be established. Modernisation efforts should focus on improving capabilities that are crucial for the operational readiness of the CJTFs. One key area is that of command, control, communications and computing, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4 ISR), around which all other capabilities necessary to implement the revolution in military affairs could be built.

Rejuvenating the Alliance
Guillaume Parmentier

The terrorist attacks of 11 September and subsequent war on terror have again brought the debate over NATO's direction into sharp focus. The US decision to go it alone in Afghanistan has raised fears that the Alliance is being marginalised. NATO needs to focus on its military capabilities and to become a more equal partnership between the United States and the other Allies. To shape NATO into an effective multilateral military instrument, two reforms are now essential. First, the geographic division of commands has to be abandoned in favour of a functional division. Second, the development of a European defence policy should be catered for by strengthening the European identity within the Alliance. Only if its members invest in their military capabilities and make use of these capabilities in real crisis situations will NATO demonstrate its indispensable role in Euro-Atlantic security and avoid wasting away into a mere discussion forum.

New beginnings
Paul Fritch

The leaders of NATO member states and Russia met in Rome in May 2002, not as rivals or adversaries but as equal partners, in a new NATO-Russia Council, united in common cause against the security threats of our age. What was missing from the NATO-Russia dialogue, earlier, was a true sense of shared purpose and urgency. The events of 11 September served as a decisive catalyst in creating a new environment but the struggle against terrorism is not the only shared interest: most of today's security challenges can only be met cooperatively. Since the Summit, further NATO-Russia meetings have been held at all levels to transform the political message of Rome into practical cooperation in key areas and develop rules and procedures for the new Council. Given the political will that is evident at all levels, prospects for a genuinely new quality in NATO-Russia relations are bright.

Enhancing Alliance capabilities
Robert G. Bell

NATO defence ministers have committed themselves to providing the Alliance with the capabilities to carry out the full range of its missions. Critical in this respect will be the successor to the 1999 Defence Capabilities Initiative. This will be focused on a "small number of capabilities essential to the full range of Alliance missions", will be based on "firm national commitments with specific target dates", and is intended to encourage "cooperative acquisition of equipment and common and multinational funding". The challenge in the run-up to the Prague Summit is to translate this framework of intent into a programme with teeth. NATO's future depends on whether Allies are prepared to make good their promises, to spend money more intelligently and, where necessary, to provide extra resources for defence.