The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was formed in 1949 as a Western military alliance to deal with the growing threat of the Soviet Union. However, since the break-up of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, it has struggled to define itself in the 21st century. This has led some to speculate whether the military alliance has a future?
NATO will be dismantled
NATO no long serves a purpose.
NATO belongs in the Cold War era.
NATO was set up over seventy years ago to deal with a threat that no longer exists today.
Some NATO members refuse to pay their fair share of defence costs, forcing other members to shoulder the increasing cost of collective security. This tension over spending will inevitably lead to the alliance's collapse.
The EU will take a greater role in defence and security
The prospect of an EU army and a greater role for the EU in defence has long been floated. As tensions rise over the cost of NATO and the interests of the USA and Europe diverge, the EU will supplant NATO as the central guarantor of European security.
NATO will continue its role stabilising Afghanistan
The Government of Afghanistan remains under siege from Taliban insurgents and will continue to be reliant on NATO to train, advise, and assist the Afghan National Army.
