A few days before the end of his mandate, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned against isolationism, just a few weeks before the US elections and at a time when Europeans want to be more independent of the Americans.
“Isolationism will not keep anyone safe. We live in an interconnected world. Security challenges are too big and competition too fierce for any country to go it alone”, he explained in a speech to the German Marshall Fund in Brussels.
According to Mr Stoltenberg, focusing on short-term national interests rather than long-term cooperation will not help. He explained that investing in the transatlantic relationship was the “only winning way forward”.
The General Secretary recalled that the Alliance was not set in stone, but “the result of deliberate choices and political will”.
“Europeans must understand that without NATO there can be no security in Europe. 80% of NATO’s defence spending comes from non-EU allies”, stressed Mr Stoltenberg, adding that it was not just a question of resources, but also of geography.
And while the Transatlantic Alliance has served Europe well, it has also served the United States well, he recalled. “America’s friends and allies make indispensable contributions to American security and interests” said the Secretary General, recalling that NATO Allies have stood side by side with the US “from Korea to Afghanistan”.
And he added: “No other major power has as many friends and allies as the United States. Any policy that seeks to undermine this is squandering one of America’s greatest assets”.
The General Secretary also reviewed his 10-year mandate. In particular, he pointed out that the Allies had strengthened their defences, including by increasing their spending. According to Mr Stoltenberg, 23 of the organisation’s member countries now devote at least 2% of their GDP to defence, but “this is no longer enough”. The Secretary General estimated that in order to ensure their security, it will be necessary to devote “well over 2% of GDP to defence in the years to come”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)