On March 20, Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John McCain (R-AZ), and the Atlantic Council held a conversation on the state of the NATO Alliance and why the May 2012 Chicago summit matters for the United States and the transatlantic community.
Secretary Madeleine Albright, Senator John Warner, and others offered their perspectives on the Alliance against the backdrop of uncertainty in Afghanistan, strained relations with Russia, recent success in Libya, and defense cuts across the Alliance.
Allied heads of state and government will gather in Chicago in just over two months to debate the Alliance’s enduring commitment to Afghanistan, ways to enhance allied capabilities amidst declining budgets, and how best to strengthen NATO’s network of partners across the globe. The summit will be the first to take place on US soil since 1999 and will convene just months prior to US presidential elections in November.
TRANSCRIPT
KORI SCHAKE’S PREPARED REMARKS
SENATOR MCCAIN’S PREPARED REMARKS
AUDIO (.mp3)
Program
| 10:30 | Registration |
| 11:00 | Welcome |
| 11:05-11:15 | Introductory Remarks Delivered by Jeanne Shaheen and John McCain |
| 11:15-11:55 | A Bipartisan Perspective on the Alliance in a Globalized World Discussion Featuring Madeleine K. Albright, John W. Warner, and Fred Kempe |
| 12:00-1:00 | NATO 2012 Chicago Summit: What’s at Stake? Discussion Featuring David W. Barno, Kori Schake, Walter B. Slocombe, and Ian Brzezinski |
| 1:00 | Concluding Remarks |
PRESS COVERAGE
- McCain: Syria will not be discussed at NATO Summit – The Daily Caller
- McCain, others look past 2014 for NATO role in Afghanistan – Xinhua
- McCain: Marines are the Navy’s ‘men’s department’ – Washington Examiner
- McCain says US could be ‘on the ground’ in Afghanistan past 2014 – Carlo Munoz, The Hill
- McCain: Syria, NATO Expansion Should Be on Summit Agenda – Kate Brannen, DefenseNews
- Afghanistan, Smart Defense Lead NATO Summit Agenda – Kate Brannen, DefenseNews
The Atlantic Council Covers the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago
For over fifty years, the Atlantic Council has served as a preeminent, nonpartisan institution devoted to promoting transatlantic cooperation and international security. This May, as the NATO Summit converges on Chicago, the Atlantic Council maintains that the transatlantic alliance remains not only relevant, but vital, to today’s changing world. However, if it is to remain so, the transatlantic link must be modernized to account for our new fiscal and changing geopolitical circumstances. The Council will provide a cadre of experts who are available for analysis of the major issues shaping the Summit in Chicago, while also engaging and developing the next generation of transatlantic leaders in a host of related activities and resources.
Click here for our current list of activities, with more to be announced as we get closer to the date of the Summit. Please check the page periodically to remain updated on all events related to the Chicago Summit.