A 21st Century NATO: Obama’s Lisbon Agenda
This NATO Summit is a key opportunity for Obama to define a new agenda that will reset America's relationship with both Europe and the transatlantic community.
Dr Lisa Aronsson, Head, Transatlantic Security Programme
After a midterm electoral defeat and a political 'shellacking' in Asia, President Barack Obama will be hard pressed to deliver foreign policy successes at the NATO Summit in Lisbon. The transatlantic community is under enormous financial pressure and allies are still struggling to change the momentum in the difficult war in Afghanistan. Moreover, an increasing number of Europeans share a vague sense that the US has shifted its attention to the Pacific, that Obama sees Europe as marginal to security outcomes, or that it is irrelevant in world politics. Even staunch Atlanticists are beginning to see that the ties are fraying.
As President Obama arrives in Europe, he will look for concrete steps in three key areas: Afghanistan, NATO and Russia. He will aim to align perspectives on transition and timeline for Afghanistan. He will try to revitalise NATO with the new Strategic Concept while positioning it to engage with new partners on a global scale and preparing it to combat emerging threats. Finally, President Obama will try to extend the US-Russia reset to a NATO-wide reset in relations with Russia while promoting enhanced co-operation on several issues of mutual concern. As Ian Brzezinski pointed out in the New York Times, however, Obama must use the Lisbon Summit meetings for a broader purpose: to reaffirm Europe's centrality in America's global strategy.
