A NATO aos 60: a travessia do rubicão (ou a importância dos valores)

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Abstract

Having its origins in the Ialta System, the Atlantic Alliance today faces numerous and profoundly different challenges from those of its early days. Particularly, the Alliance has to deal with the most fundamental test of its history: the definition of a post-post-Cold War identity and the creation of a new strategic concept to guide it through an international context in constant change. In the 60 years of an uncommonly long life, NATO has displayed – both at the political, military and institutional levels – an extraordinary capacity to evolve and adapt to the new times. It is important to understand the main reasons underlining this remarkable success. Through a historical and political analysis, the current article will try to identify the reasons that constantly helped the Alliance reach safe harbours while navigating in troubled waters. Those reasons, structural to the Alliance and transversal to its history, are to be found in the allied nations’ shared values: in the fight against fear and aggression, in their love of liberty and freedom from want, in the defense of democracy and human dignity. Those are the values that must frame the current debate: which should be NATO ’s priorities in the 21st century? What grand strategy should the Alliance pursue to face the all new emerging threats? These are some of the fundamental questions the present article will try to answer.
Original languagePortuguese
Pages (from-to)11-30
Number of pages19
Journal Lusíada. Politica Internacional e Segurança
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - 2010

Keywords

  • NATO
  • Transatlantic
  • Democracy
  • Enlargment
  • Strategic concept

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