The End of NATO

Interesting article on NATO in Foreign Policy today. A new report says, "NATO should slim down, scale back, and pass the ball". As a result of "crushing fiscal retrenchment and sour memories of Afghanistan will likely leave most member states in Europe incapable of any significant military expeditions". Isn't this a good thing? Maybe we will see a return to the principle of you-leave-me-alone and I-leave-you-alone in international relations. The article speaks about a "inevitable decline in NATO's military capacity" and "NATO's days as an armed-to-the-teeth phalanx blocking the Soviet Army are now in the misty past". NATO is shrinking and "making way for a more purely diplomatic role". That staff in Brussels -- those who remain after the pink slips -- will spend more time coordinating NGOs and contractors than directing tank brigades." I have considered NATO, as it has existed, a unnecessary anachronism for a long time, this is a good development.

At the same time, the scaling back of military capability as a result of economic trouble, is not all good. This is something that Mark Stewart points out in a post on the Fourth Course of Action blog: "when governments spends enormous amounts of wealth they do not have and adopt policies that discourage economic growth [emphasis on consumption over savings], they will eventually lose the ability to pay for one of the most fundamental functions of government: National defense". Because of the economic/finical/deficit crisis in Europe, "The West will continue to rely on the military might of the United States to make up for shortfalls in capability among the other democracies. But what will happen when the United States is served the bill for its own governmental mismanagement of the economy? Who will there be to call on then? " I would like to see individual or nations in bi-lateral partnership be in command and responsible for their own defense. Europe especially has for far too long depended on the United States.