Fall 2017 JPI

WHAT FUTURE DOES THE ALLIANCE HOLD?
Former Secretary of State, and National Security Advisor, Henry A. Kissinger proposed two
solutions for enhancing allied cohesion. Dr. Kissinger stressed the importance of altering the method
of consultation, as well as the necessity for a concerted Europe with institutions that predetermine the
desire for an effective Atlantic community. There’s something to be said about an alliance like NATO
concerning its efficacy and endurance to remain compatible in the twenty-first century. First,
according to Kissinger, “the internal working of modern government are so complex that they create
a variety of obstacles to meaningful consultation [among those in the alliance],” in other words,
domestic politics, and more precisely the arena of public estimation, appear to present a substantial
dilemma to adherence in an alliance system such as a permanent NATO. 30 Second, while the Atlantic
bond is forged by the consensus of member states to preserve freedom, democracy, and primarily a
rules-based order, “an alliance of states very unequal in size and strength, differences are almost certain
to arise. And they are likely to be intensified because the histories of the states vary widely and because
of a technology of unprecedented destructiveness and novelty.” 31
MAXIMALIST OR MINIMALIST: HOW IMPORTANT IS THE LEADER OF THE
FREE WORLD?
In the prevailing international environment and the abundance of unprecedented global
challenges that have risen in the world today, US national security policymaking has adapted
significantly. NATO has not been nearly as quick to adjust whenever force majeure occurred. With the
end of the Cold War came complex elements of both US and international security. 32 The constant
reappraisal of strategy in an evolving global climate is essential and of immense consequence to policy
makers in the United States. Not only is it essential to ensure that the observant society understands
precisely the challenges confront the United States, but also that our adversaries discern that we do
not follow a one-size-fits-all foreign policy. 33 September 11, 2001 was a turning point in the shift from
conventional warfare and state-to-state dynamics of international relations. 34 We were confronted with
a new strategic context, hurdles, and possibilities to adjust the accord of diplomacy. No longer was
military warfare or nuclear deterrence as pressing as it formerly was; unique challenges of economic
security, terrorism, counterinsurgency and homeland security arose. 35 Therefore, what is national
security?
National security “refers to the safeguarding of a people, territory, and way of life. It includes
protection from physical assault and in that sense, is similar to the term defense. However, national
security also implies protection, through a variety of means, of a broad array of interests and values.” 36
Traditional US national security encompasses a diversity of issues, mainly originating from the
importance of values, public opinion, and some form of ideology. These notions continued among
the Atlantic alliance members and were reinforced even further throughout the Cold War’s war of
ideologies. However, in the post-Cold War era, and even more so in the post-9/11 era, we have seen
a progression of American national security policy. 37 The Clinton Administration, albeit assuming a
circumspect approach to changing the edifice of the US military, was considerably determined by its
30 Henry A. Kissinger, The Troubled Partnership: A Re-appraisal of the Atlantic Alliance (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1982).
31Ibid., [PAGE NUMBER].
32 Richard K. Betts, American Force: Dangers, Delusions, and Dilemmas in National Security (New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2013).
33 George C. Herring, From Colony to Superpower: US Foreign Relations Since 1776 (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2011).
34 Ibid.
35 Ibid.
36 Amos A. Jordan et al., American National Security (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009).
37Amos A. Jordan et al., American National Security (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009).
JPI Fall 2017, pg. 17