From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Huffington Post: [W]hile we were celebrating the benefits of peace, our definition of ‘security’ began to change. We now live in a time when bombs can masquerade as shoes or printer cartridges; when cyber-attacks buzz like bees through the Internet; and when, for some, Mutually Assured Destruction is not a warning but a goal.
The friendly logic of the old game is long since gone. Fragile states half-way across the globe have become breeding grounds for terrorism, drugs, and the trafficking of weapons or even people. Some thirty countries have or are acquiring ballistic missiles. Every day, cyber-attacks target our banking systems, air traffic control, and power grids.
These are transnational problems requiring mutinational solutions. If NATO did not exist, it would have to be invented, because countries with shared values and a shared history of close cooperation can best address these problems together. As the world’s premier multilateral security organization, the transatlantic Alliance will play an essential role in solving the challenges of the 21st century. …
Alliance leaders at the Lisbon Summit understand that security has changed. We will need the cooperation of all Allies and Partners to address transnational problems so that our children and grandchildren may continue to enjoy the benefits of peace and security.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is Secretary General of NATO and former Prime Minister of Denmark. (photo: Reuters)
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