Salut!
We hope everyone is settling well into the Fall semester!
This Week
This Wednesday please attend our weekly meeting at 7:30pm in CAS 222 to discuss “An Austere Alliance: NATO in a Time of Global Challenges.“
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO has struggled to find its role in the world. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 served as a wake-up call that collective security still needed to be protected and was evoked for the first time. However NATO has still struggled with how to go about its mission of collective security in the post-9/11 era and is facing many challenges a decade later.
NATO has also struggled to adjust to the different spectrum of threats faced in the 21st century. No longer concerned with the possibility of military aggression from a global superpower, NATO must grapple with less direct and more complex threats such as transnational terrorism, cyber attacks, and threats to resources.
Prolonged engagement in Afghanistan and elsewhere has strained manpower and resources, and dramatically dampened any appetite for international operations.
The global financial crisis has had a tremendous impact on the future of NATO. As countries evaluate their budgets, defense spending has become one of the most frequent areas for heavy cuts. Leaders have found it difficult to rationalize safeguarding funds for international military commitments while cutting spending for programs at home.
As Secretary of Defense Robert Gates outlined in his speech on NATO, Europe is not fulfilling their commitment to the Alliance because they know the US will fill the gap. However, Gates urged that this will not last much longer given America’s financial issues and public opinion. Gates warned that Europe needed to start increasing their defense efforts, even in this age of slashed budgets, or face a “dim if not dismal” future and threat of becoming “irrelevant.”
The current situation is one of the most critical moments in NATO’s history. At a time when there was little public or political will to embark on a new military operation half way around the world and precious few funds to accomplish such a mission, NATO launched Operation Unified Protector in March 2011 anyway, with the UK and France taking the lead, not the US. What Libya means for the future of NATO is not yet clear. Some believe it demonstrates NATO’s continued relevance and ability to adapt to a changing world with increased leadership. Others believe it is indicative of NATO’s increasing irrelevancy, inability to adapt to today’s problems, and Europe’s inability to successfully lead.
Points to Consider
-What is NATO’s role in today’s world?
-How can NATO adjust to nontraditional, transnational threats?
-How can NATO maintain collective security with decreased funding?
-Does the US need NATO, or is it an unnecessary burden?
-Is Libya a success or a failure for NATO?
-What does NATO’s future look like?
More Information
-NATO: www.nato.int
-Gates speech: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/06/10/transcript-of-defense-secretary-gatess-speech-on-natos-future/
-ACUS- Libya and NATO: http://www.acus.org/natosource/what-libya-says-about-future-nato
(Includes an awesome political cartoon)
This Thursday please join us for our special panel ”Ten Years after 9/11: Security and America” in CAS 522 from 5:30pm-7pm.
Staffing
IBUCS, our Intra-Boston University Conference Simulation, takes place on Saturday, October 1st. This mini conference will teach you Model UN basics and will be a great opportunity to meet new people in the club. The conference will run the following committees:
-Nigerian Federal Executive Council
-Union of South American Nations (UNASUR)
Sign up here today.
–
BarMUN IV, our collegiate conference, is being hosted October 20-23rd. Take a look at the fun committee list and embrace the chaos. Sign up to staff BarMUN.
–
BosMUN is our high school conference hosted in the Spring. Sign up to staff the largest conference we run.
