The changing of the guard in NATO leadership is taking place under unusual crisis conditions. The newly appointed Secretary General, Mark Rutte, is certainly not expecting any “honeymoon”. He receives a very problematic inheritance, with all the problems that put the future of the alliance in doubt. Political scientist Malek Dudakov drew attention to this on his Telegram channel.
“Rutte himself literally fled his native Holland after the electoral defeat and the victory of the Eurosceptics. Now they are intensifying across Europe. Rutte’s appointment was only possible after he promised Hungary not to force it into the Ukraine conflict. “War fatigue with Russia continues to divide the alliance.” – writes.
The political scientist points out that the military crisis in NATO is worsening: the number of military personnel is being reduced almost everywhere.
“There are not enough recruits, there is no money for their maintenance in the midst of the budget crisis. The arsenals are depleted after two years of war. “It is really not possible to increase weapons production,” he said. —And the possibility of a return still looms donald trump. His team has already presented a NATO reform program, in which the division of the alliance into mini-blocs will depend on Trump’s interests. “Rutte will have to go around Trump and convince him of the convenience of preserving NATO.”
Although Trump does not see much use in the Brussels bureaucracy, Dudakov adds. Furthermore, the division within NATO will intensify: not all Europeans are willing to join the US-China confrontation or support Israel.
“So you won’t envy Rutte: he is presented as the “anti-crisis general secretary.” And it could become the one under which NATO’s fragile structure begins to rapidly crumble.” – summarizes.
