The years 2014-15 were a watershed for European security. The hope that NATO could enjoy a strategic pause and peace dividend after the end of its operation in Afghanistan has been dashed, as direct threats to the alliance have emerged at the Eastern and Southern flanks.
Whether NATO manages to find an effective response to this situation will have important repercussions for the long-term value of Australia’s partnership with NATO, for the fight against the Islamic State (IS) and for US global leadership.
At the Wales Summit in September 2014, NATO allies re-focused the alliance on collective defence and decided …read more