Untangling NATO Transformation

Download or read book Untangling NATO Transformation written by Stephen J. Mariano and published by Centre for International Relations Queen's University. This book was released on 2007 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this paper is to untangle the capabilities portion of NATO's "transformation" initiatives and analyze their contribution to international security. The key questions asked are: What does NATO transformation entail, is it effective and what is its future? The conclusion concedes a measure of progress but identifies several shortfalls. The paper then makes a general recommendation for improving NATO's transformational capabilities. NATO's transformation efforts are balancing unsteadily between political will and military commitment. Foreign and defense ministers generally support transformation initiatives, but find their best intentions side-lined by fierce competition for domestic budgets. As can be expected from an international institution with a dual (political and military) identity, NATO's transformational work is proceeding in an uneven political-military manner. The bottom line, however, is that the political decisions on Prague Capability Commitment programs are disconnected from NATO's other military programs. Research was conducted using a variety of materials (official NATO documents, articles, reports, monographs and book chapters).