Overview

On September 5, 2009, the commanding officer of NATO’s German troops in Afghanistan ordered a U.S. Air Force fighter to destroy two fuel trucks hijacked by theTaliban. Within hours, he was being investigated by German prosecutors for the murder of innocent civilians—collateral damage. Under German law its forces can only be deployed for peacekeeping; America might be at war in Afghanistan, but Germany is not. Germany is not the only country that sets strict conditions on its NATO troops. Half of the allied forces in Afghanistan operate under restricted battlefield conditions. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower stormed the beaches of Normandy with an Allied army that followed his every command; in Afghanistan military commanders must consult a checklist to figure out which allied soldiers can be sent into battle. NATO today is a shadow of what it used to be—the world’s most formidable military alliance. Its original reason for existence, the Soviet Union, disintegrated years ago, and its dreams of being a world cop are withering in the mountains of Afghanistan. But eliminating NATO is not the answer, argues Sarwar Kashmeri. It is, for Americans and Europeans, still the safety net of last resort. Kashmeri believes NATO’s future usefulness depends on its ability to partner with CSDP, Europe’s increasingly successful security and defense establishment. It is time for NATO 2.0, a new version of NATO, to fit the realities of the twenty-first century.

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9781597976640

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This brilliant analysis leaves no doubt that diminished resources, sheer neglect, and strategic differences among NATO's partners have weakened this long-standing pillar of Western defense. Sarwar Kashmeri urges the United States and the European Union to align their thinking and combine their resources to ensure that the 'world's most successful military alliance' will live on. --James F. Hoge, Jr., Counselor, Council on Foreign Relations--James F. Hoge, Jr. (11/10/2010)

A once-great alliance, NATO has long since lost its bearings. For anyone concerned with getting things back on track, Sarwar Kashmeri provides a detailed and eminently sensible road map. --Andrew J. Bacevich, professor of history and international relations, Boston University, and author of <i>Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War</i> (2010)--Andrew J. Bacevich (11/11/2010)

Sarwar Kashmeri's views on the Atlantic alliance are widely respected, and NATO 2.0 demonstrates why. It is a meticulously researched, wise, and lucid book that is enriched by Kashmeri s wide-ranging interviews with American and European leaders (past and present) and foreign policy experts. Kashmeri does not pull punches in discussing the serious problems NATO faces in developing a compelling raison d etre in the 21st century, but he also points the way forward by offering creative proposals for cooperation between the alliance and the European Union through the latter's European Security and Defense Policy. Those who believe that NATO still has a purpose would do well to read his impressive book.

Author Information

Sarwar A. Kashmeri is a senior fellow in the International Security Program of the Atlantic Council, Washington, D.C.; a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association, New York; and is recognized on both sides of the Atlantic as an expert on U.S.-European relations. He is the author of America and Europe After 9/11 and Iraq: The Great Divide, Revised and Updated (Potomac Books, Inc., 2008).

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