NATO Renewed: The Power and Purpose of Transatlantic Cooperation - Hardcover

Rynning, S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1403970653 ISBN 13: 9781403970657

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005

Synopsis

Recent controversies in NATO have caused observers to question the Alliance's raison d'être. They generally contend that NATO's crisis has gone from bad to worse and that the Alliance is ill-adapted to the era of international terrorism, but this assessment is inaccurate. NATO leaders have, in fact, become better at shaping NATO to the strategic environment following a severe crisis in the mid-1990s. At that time, the allies were trying to turn NATO into something it could not be; at present, the allies are on target in their efforts to adapt NATO. NATO Renewed is the story of why NATO's problems are manageable and why the Atlantic Alliance likely will continue to have both power and purpose.

About this title

Review:

"Rynning's study of the Western Alliance is careful, current and compelling.

Wars in Kuwait, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, and the experiences of

NATO and its members in either participating or staying out, have had

profound effects on the alliance. Contradicting others' analyses, Rynning

argues that the lessons learned from the wars of our time have strengthened

rather than weakened NATO. Over the last decade and a half the Western

Alliance has been radically transformed in size, in fighting doctrine, in

capability and in political dynamics, all of which point to resilience in

the decades ahead."

- Donald J. Puchala, University of South Carolina

'At a time when the 'NATO is dead' school seems once again in the ascendant, Sten Rynning reassesses both the underlying purpose and the power dynamics of 'the world's most successful alliance.' Arguing from a rigorous realist perspective, Rynning rejects the generalized pessimism of his theoretical mentors and presents a robust analysis of the objective and subjective reasons for continuing to believe that the Alliance has a strong future ahead of it. This is compulsory reading for all those concerned with the present state and future prospects of the 'Atlantic community.''

- Jolyon Howorth, Jean Monnet Professor of European Politics, University of Bath and Visiting Professor of Political Science, Yale University

'The strength of the book, in my view, is to offer both a solidly documented account and a stimulating interpretative framework of the Atlantic Alliance's post-Cold War transformation. Moreover, in spite of recent crises, Sten Rynning makes a strong case for the continued relevance of NATO, provided member states acknowledge what should become its primary raison d'être in the future, i.e. to serve as a trans-Atlantic framework for building and operating coalitions.'

- Frédéric Bozo, Professor, University of Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris III) and Senior Associate, Ifri, Paris

Synopsis:

This book provides an overview of what has happened to NATO from the closing stages of the Cold War to the new era of international terrorism. However, it is more than that. It also argues that NATO has travelled a course that contradicts the prevailing image of an organization in decline and crisis. NATO must be crafted by its members to fit the security environment in which it operates. Rynning argues that the allies did this poorly in the mid-90s but have succeeded better in the past few years. NATO has persisted into this new era because it has overcome a crisis of identity in the 90s and is on track to establish a viable model for flexible transatlantic security cooperation.

About this edition

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1403970653
• ISBN 13: 9781403970657
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 246