Skip navigation
LMC 2018

Geography and Threat: Should NATO Mind the East/South Gap?

NATO faces risks to its east and to its south. To the east, Russia continues its military build-up and looks for opportunities to confront Western cohesion. To the south, instability and conflict bring the challenges of migration and terrorism to our borders. NATO’s recent summits in Wales and Warsaw have focused largely on those risks emanating from the east. But the individual Allies’ geographical location and strategic culture inevitably shape their perceptions of where and how NATO should deploy its scarce resources. Is there more still to be done on the eastern flank, or should NATO now turn greater attention to the south? Where should the balance of attention and means lie? Can the differing perspectives of the Allies be reconciled and single strategic approach found? Does NATO need a new Strategic Concept?

Speakers

José Alberto Azeredo Lopes
José Alberto Azeredo Lopes

Minister of Defence, Portugal

Jüri Luik

Permanent Representative of Estonia to NATO

David Pendall
David Pendall

Deputy Chief of Staff, US Army Europe

Claudia Major

Head of the International Security Research Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs

Moderator

Constanze Stelzenmüller

Director of the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution

Related articles