NATO Watch Chicago Summit Briefing Series: No.1 NATO-Russia Relations

No.1 NATO-Russia relations: managing the balance between cooperation and confrontation

 
For Immediate Release: 1 May 2012
 
Contact: Dr. Ian Davis | +44 (0)7887 782389
 
Please find attached the first of a seven-part media briefing series from NATO Watch
 
The Chicago NATO Summit is to take place on 20-21 May 2012. Originally planned as an “implementation” summit—to review progress on a series of goals laid out in a new Strategic Concept agreed at the 2010 Lisbon Summit—the alliance is now faced with a wider and more complex range of challenges, many arising from recent geopolitical events. Thus, the ante for this summit has been upped even higher with the uprisings in the Arab world, the international financial crisis and the debate over transatlantic burden-sharing becoming major summit issues in their own right.
 
But in accordance with the parable of the wise builder, will NATO's Chicago house be built on a foundation of rock (and hence decisions taken will likely endure beyond 2012) or on a foundation of sand (with outcomes facing potential future subsidence)?  This briefing series previews the six key items expected to be on the agenda together with a final briefing that will touch on a collection of other issues also fighting for leaders’ attention, even though they are unlikely to be on the agenda, including Syria, Iran, NATO enlargement and the broader question of what NATO’s role will be post-Afghanistan.
 
No.1      NATO-Russia relations
No.2      Missile Defence
No.3      Afghanistan
No.4      The Arab Spring and lessons from Libya
No.5      Smart Defence
No.6      The Defence and Deterrence Posture Review (DDPR)
No.7      'Off the agenda' but on the horizon
 
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NATO Watch and partners will be holding a Shadow NATO Summit in Washington DC on 14-15 May 2012 to discuss and share ideas on the future of NATO, including the new strategic concept, Afghanistan, nuclear policy, missile defence and NATO-Russian relations. Click here for a draft program and registration details.

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