NATO’s Missile Defense – Realigning Collective Defense for the 21st Century

Abstract

This article examines the rationale and implications of NATO’s missile defense program which was an appropriate, but problemmatic, response to collective defense requirements. By designing a theater-based missile defense in southeastern Europe, the United States has returned the question of credible collective defense back to NATO. The discussion provides a survey of the missile defense debates in NATO and the evolution of the concept under President Barack Obama. It then examines the challenge of constructively engaging Russia in the dynamics of NATO’s missile defense decisions and deployments. The analysis concludes with an overview of what this re-prioritization of collective defense in means for realigning America’s role in NATO

Keywords

• Missile defense, NATO, Iran, Turkey, Russia, containment, collective defense, alliances.

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