Revitalizing NATO for a Changing World.

• Author: Jones, David T.
• Position: North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Revitalizing NATO for a Changing World

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary General

Text: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/events/2014/3/19%20rasmussen%20nato/20140319_nato_transcript.pdf

On 19 March, NATO Secretary General Anders Rasmussen addressed the Brookings Institution in Washington DC, regarding the Alliance and the evolving Ukraine crisis.

There were no surprises in his speech. Rasmussen characterized Russian action in Ukraine as a "blatant breach" of international commitments and characterized the Crimea referendum as "held at gunpoint." The result was a "wake up call" for Europe-NATO and the "gravest threat to European security and stability since the end of the Cold War."

Rasmussen condemned Russia's action and warned against its consequences for Moscow. He noted steps that NATO had taken to limit cooperation with Russia and augment security action, e.g., more Baltic air policing and surveillance flights over Poland. He anticipated additional action would be forthcoming.

More generally, however, Rasmussen saw Russia's action in Ukraine as "21st century revisionism" to "rewrite or rip up the international rule book" with a return to force as the determining factor in international relations.

Rasmussen refuted the dismissive sobriquet of NATO ("no action; talk only") by noting a series of effective NATO action such as support for the United States immediately post-9/11; the ongoing NATO mission in Afghanistan during which for every two U.S. soldiers, there...