NATO Summit: a Global Future after Brain Death

Abstract

The article analyzes the main political outcomes of the NATO summit in Brussels on June 14, 2021. The summit, which was attended by US President Joe Biden, was initially seen as a «return» of the United States to Europe – after a turbulent «Trumpism» period in transatlantic relations. The final communiqué constitutes the main lines of the planned Alliance’s transformation in response to the growing challenges to Euro-Atlantic security, in particular raised by Russia and China, and by of international terrorism threats as well. The in-depth register of NATO’s potential and actions in response to the growing challenges and threats, presented in the meeting’s communiqué, proves a trend towards the alliance globalization, both in functional and geopolitical terms. The Summit decisions, its adoption of the «NATO 2030» platform, are seen as a basis of a new strategic concept, planned to be adopted at the next 2022 summit in Spain. However, the author arguing, the postponed problems of transatlantic relations and allies disagreements will inevitably constitute a significant internal challenge for the alliance in the search for its future «globalization» strategy.