5 Future Dangers By NATO
Nowadays, it seems like wherever we turn our head to, there is chaos and a crisis that needs to be managed. As a team, we have started thinking a lot about this situation and what is really happening around us. The Crisis Management Lab gave us the chance to actually delve into that and analyze some specific circumstances.
Specifically, NATO has gotten our attention and we did some research regarding the future dangers they might have to face. But in order to understand that, we have to get to know what NATO stands for.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), due to its flexibility to adapt to new geopolitical challenges and dynamics among its member states, is the world’s largest and most enduring alliance. The United States, Canada, and many Western European nations formed the NATO alliance in 1949 to guarantee collective defense against the Soviet Union. NATO was the United States’ first peacetime military alliance outside of the Western Hemisphere. Following the devastation of WWII, Europe’s nations battled to restore their economies and maintain their security.
One of the main dangers NATO has to be ready for is increased revisionism. The decade following the 2010, has Strategic Concept characterized by increased revisionism, largely from authoritarian states. This pattern is expected to persist. The weakening of the security order and relations with Russia has epitomized big power revisionism inside the Euro-Atlantic community.
As we kept on doing our research, we found out that another threat NATO is worried about are the geopolitical changes. A shifting danger landscape marked by the reemergence of geopolitical struggle, the emergence of new state-based concerns, the persistent threat presented by non-state actors, and a world increasingly defined by global issues like climate change, are a great threat for the upcoming future, according to NATO. Climate change, which contributes to global instability through resource scarcity and changes in climate patterns, as well as the threat to military installations through floods or other natural disasters is a main example of this menace.
Next on, it seems like the relationship between the 30 member countries and China is a big issue. At the same time, China’s quest for greater global influence, its desire to form an international world order (often in a manner detrimental to the free order under existing rules), and its rapid economic growth, led the country into competition among the great powers. Competition between major powers and fears of its domination, as their positions on key issues such as democratic institutions, the rule of law, the scope of protection of human and minority rights, the use of military force, are diametrically opposed.
As we continued, we found out that external relations are not the only ones that could be threatening for NATO. Internal relations can cause problems in case some members have disagreements between them. In addition, old and new conflicts between nations in the region continue to smolder, reducing the potential for peace and stability. In this sense, the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan could herald future events.
Last but not least, new technologies seem to be a big threat for them, because Ocean currents that affect the entire globe are increasingly shaping the external environment. New technologies, including Emerging Disruptive Technologies (EDT), will shape war and political leadership more broadly. The competition for improved connectivity, dual-use technology, and the acquisition of critical knowledge and skills represents a new global competition for critical resources. Aside from the technological flow, the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the risks of an increasingly connected world and the need to strengthen collaboration. The risks of climate change continue, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that global warming will reach 1.5 ° C (2.7 ° F) between 2030 and 2052.5. In addition, climate change can be a multiplier for threats, contribute to global instability through resource shortages and changing climate patterns, and threaten military facilities through floods and other natural disasters.
In conclusion, NATO is an organization that, as the future is approaching, will have more and more worries and threats coming up. Especially now, with the war between Ukraine and Russia, which is the center of worldwide media. And that’s because it will probably affect some of its member countries, if not all of them.
Sources: https://sais.jhu.edu/kissinger/nato-2030-towards-new-strategic-concept-and-beyond
Article brought to you by StarTuppers (evadinou, John Reizis, Alexandra S, Sophia A.)
