International security

A Refashioned NATO

NATO’s character and mission were clearly delineated at its inception. Its mission was to countervail Soviet military power, specifically an attack on Western Europe. The fixed focus was the Fulda Gap.Its character was bureaucratic; its leadership was charismatic. Its leader, the United States, had gained its charisma through military victory in Asia and Western Europe. And in bureaucratic fashion, orders came down from Washington. Those who failed to obey orders, like the French and British in the Suez affair, were rebuked and desisted or later, like the French, they had one option, exit.