New NATO papers focus on Afghanistan, enlargement, Russia, and cyber defense

28 March 2008

In advance of the Bucharest Conference, taking place 1-3 April, alongside the official 2008 NATO Summit, the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Chatham House announce the release of The Bucharest Conference Papers.

Edited by Robin Shepherd, Senior Fellow for Europe, Chatham House, the Bucharest Conference Papers highlight some of the core issues and obstacles that confront NATO. These expert analyses are of particular importance to policymakers, governments, media, and think tanks in assessing the key challenges facing NATO and providing a framework of cooperation that could result, if not in a stronger alliance, then at least in a more open one. These policy papers will also frame the conversation and shape the topics on the agenda for the Bucharest Conference where the keynote speakers include Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai and NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

This Bucharest Papers and details of the speakres are also available from the Bucharest Conference website. The four key areas of focus for the Papers include:

NATO and Afghanistan: Saving the State-Building Enterprise

By Daoud Yaqub, Research Scholar, Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies (The Middle East and Central Asia) Australian National University and Dr. William Maley, Professor and Director, Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy, Australian National University

Afghanistan presents NATO with both its greatest opportunity and its most pressing threat. An alliance established to secure Europe from the might of the Soviet Union at a time dominated by Cold War tensions is now struggling to find its direction in a very different environment, and is under pressure to transform its way of operating at both military and political levels. If NATO's Afghanistan mission comes to be seen as a failure, it is difficult to envisage other constructive purposes to which the alliance might readily be put in a post-Soviet world. This paper focuses on the NATO mission in Afghanistan and its future success.

NATO Expansion and Modern Europe

By Bruce P. Jackson, President, Project on Transitional Democracies

Focusing on the enlargement debate and what it means for Europe, this paper addresses two critical questions that NATO will be faced with as it prepares for the 2008 April Summit in Bucharest. The first is whether to invite Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia to join NATO, a decision that is the culmination of a 15-year effort to end the wars that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia. The second is what relationship Ukraine and Georgia should have with NATO. Would they be set on a course that could lead to eventual NATO membership, or would they be excluded?

An Evolving NATO: Pro-Democracy or Anti-Russia?

By Robin Shepherd, Senior Research Fellow for Europe, Chatham House and Dr. Paul Cornish, Carrington Chair in International Security, Head of the International Security Programme, Chatham House

This paper focuses on the competing narratives of NATO-pro-democracy or anti-Russia-and asks the question of which stands up to scrutiny. Has NATO genuinely transformed itself from the days of the Cold War, when it was locked into an adversarial partnership with the former Soviet Union and the Warsaw Treaty Organization, into a benign and stabilizing presence in Europe and beyond? Or, conversely, does an enlarged and enlarging NATO, with ever more impressive military and communications capability and a predilection for political outreach and interventionist (or 'expeditionary') military operations beyond its original treaty area, represent a security threat to Russia?

NATO and Global Cyber Defense

By Dr. Rex B. Hughes, Research Associate, Communications Research Network, Cambridge University

This paper discusses the initial NATO response to cyber defense while also examining other relevant issues that NATO policy planners need to consider as the alliance attempts to build sufficient capacity and expertise both to deter and to defend against future cyber attacks. As with other post-Cold War threats, cyber defense is an area where traditional lines of authority between civilian and military organizations have become blurred. Upon developing an effective cyber defense strategy, NATO planners would be wise to think far outside of traditional military culture. As recent events have shown, cyber enemies could span the spectrum from sophisticated terrorists to geeky teenagers.

In addition, GMF and Chatham House invite you to visit the new Bucharest Conference website, where the agenda, session details, participant list, and discussant biographies are available. This interactive website provides a unique and user-friendly introduction to what will be yet another important event. Audio and video of all public sessions will be streamed live, and transcripts, audio, and video will be posted soon after each session. Please note that the working language of the forum is English. The Bucharest Conference will take place 1-3 April. Journalists are invited to cover the Bucharest Conference on-site.

The Bucharest Papers are written by independent authors on the topics of NATO's mission in Afghanistan; NATO enlargement; global cyber defense and NATO; and NATO's relationship with Russia. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of GMF, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or Chatham House.

For further information please contact:
Sean Armstrong
Press Officer
Chatham House Press Office
Direct: +44 (0) 20 7957 5739
Mobile: +44 (0) 78 4985 3757

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