How well is NATO responding to the large scale of cuts in defense spending?
NATO is facing a serious challenge. All of the allies made the easy cuts in defense spending five years ago. The choices being faced now are much harder to make. Hopefully, these hard choices will force the allies to improve transatlantic cooperation in defense. Otherwise, we could see the return of the burden-sharing debates of the past. But in the current political mood of the U.S. public, there may not be sufficient support to maintain a continued U.S. military presence in Europe. Even though it only costs about 8% more to base our troops in Europe than in Texas. You identified Russia as one of the three most important issues facing NATO. What is the key to NATO’s relationship with Russia? The problem of NATO-Russia relations is Russia and it has been for the last ten years. Russia wants to control the off switch on NATO policies such as missile defense. Only changes in Russia’s intransigent policies toward NATO will make decisive progress possible. Which bilateral relationships are
