From the EU Observer: The current strategic concept dating back to 1999 “clearly belongs to the last century,” although the ground principle of collective defence still remains valid, outgoing Nato secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in his opening remarks . . .

However, he warned against transforming Nato into a “second United Nations” trying to tackle too many problems on too many fronts. “The question is not what Nato can do, but what Nato should do,” Mr Scheffer said. “Let’s not eat more than we can swallow.”