(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is on the move. Gone are the days when its eastward expansion sent shivers down the spine, and the pundits of doom expected a war between the erstwhile Soviet Union, or for that matter even today's Russia, and the United States.
The geopolitics from Ural to Alaska is in a flux, and the Chicago summit of Nato leaders merely confirmed the fact that the politico-military alliance is getting strong and vibrant in the new age - and its agenda encompasses anything from going to war and keeping a deterrent peace. That is why its new approach to embrace many of the Middle Eastern and Gulf States in its fold is a welcome development, as it is bound to create an umbrella of security and stability from Europe down to Africa and Mideast Asia.
Notwithstanding the unanimity that Europe and the United States enjoy in installing missiles in the heartland of the continent, the alliance will have to do a lot of homework when it comes to issues of sovereignty, command and control and, more specifically, the initiative to lead from the front. The Libyan episode simply proved that until and unless the war gear of Washington is at the disposal of Europe, not much could be attained. So will be the case if the Nato, for instance, decides on its own to intervene in Syria or any other flashpoint of the world.
The structure and utility of Nato, irrespective of being a mega-Europe dominated body, solely lies at the discretion of Pentagon militarily and the White House politically. It is, however, a good sign that Nato is realising the potential of many of the Muslim countries in the region, and the words of appreciation that the United Arab Emirates received in Chicago is a case in point.
The Nato's gigantic task as it flexes its muscles will be as to how to renegotiate a new order with Russia. The bilateral disarmament arrangements between Moscow and Washington will act as a catalyst in restoring confidence between the two major icons of real-politicks. The world, indeed, needs a new just order.
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