It is a day of changes at the top of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will take office on Tuesday 1Ahem October, around 10:00 a.m., to the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, who remained at the head of the alliance for ten years.
This transfer of power will take place at NATO headquarters in Brussels, within the framework of a meeting of the Atlantic Council, NATO’s political body that brings together the ambassadors of the member countries. Jens Stoltenberg, 65, will open the meeting and Mark Rutte, 57, will conclude it.
“Perhaps there will be nuances, changes of emphasis in this or that thing, but there will also be a lot of continuity”assures a NATO diplomat, referring to this transition.
The two men know each other well. As Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte has represented his country at NATO summits for the past fourteen years. And he was also with the former Norwegian prime minister before he took up his position at NATO.
“He has the qualities, the experience to really do his job excellently”Stoltenberg said of him during his last public lecture in Brussels on September 19. They will not be too many for the challenges that await the future Secretary General of NATO.
The US elections haunt the corridors of the alliance
The war continues in Ukraine, at the gates of the Atlantic Alliance, two and a half years after the invasion of this country by the Russian army. Mark Rutte will therefore have to ensure during his first major meeting – a meeting of NATO defense ministers on October 17-18 – that essential Western military support for Ukraine in the war is maintained at the highest level, despite as pressure increases to end this war and open negotiations.
The United States, by far the largest military power within NATO, plays an essential role in this regard. However, the United States is in the midst of an election campaign, and on both sides of the Atlantic we are anxiously awaiting to know if Democratic candidate Kamala Harris or former Republican President Donald Trump will reach the White House. A possible victory for the American billionaire on November 5 haunts the halls of NATO headquarters in Brussels, where the threats of American withdrawal launched by the former president of the United States still resonate.
The Dutchman met on several occasions with Donald Trump, whom he was able to stand up to, during a meeting in 2018 in Washington. He was also able to gain his trust by acknowledging that he was right to emphasize the need for better burden-sharing within NATO between Americans and Europeans.
In this regard, Mark Rutte, who has always defended budgetary frugality, is eagerly awaited, also in case Mr.me Harris. American demands for rebalancing within the Alliance do not date from the Trump presidency.
a big family
It will also have to ensure that NATO is in good shape against the Russian threat, in line with its defense plans adopted in 2023. These revealed that the allies lacked, for example, air defense or artillery capabilities. production after years of cuts in military budgets.
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Only twenty-three of the Alliance’s thirty-two countries have achieved the goal set ten years ago of dedicating at least 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) to military spending. And several of them assure that much more is now needed against the Kremlin.
On these issues, the allies are very divided and Mark Rutte’s essential task can be summarized in a single sentence, according to Jens Stoltenberg: “Keep the thirty-two allies together. “It’s a big family, but sometimes it’s a real challenge to keep them all happy together.”.
