LOOK BACK ON THE WASHINGTON SUMMIT

Atlantic Council at the NATO Summit in Washington

Live commentary, authoritative analysis, and high-level events covering NATO’s Washington summit, courtesy of our experts.

Essays on the Alliance’s future

NATO’s seventy-fifth anniversary is a milestone in a remarkable story of reinvention, adaptation, and unity. However, as the Alliance seeks to secure its future for the next seventy-five years, it faces revanchist old rivals, escalating strategic competition, and uncertainties over the future of the rules-based international order. 

With partners and allies turning attention from celebrations to challenges, the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative invited contributors to engage with the most pressing concerns ahead of the historic Washington summit and chart a path for the Alliance’s future. This series features seven essays focused on concrete issues that NATO must address at the Washington summit and five essays that examine longer-term challenges the Alliance must confront to ensure transatlantic security. 

Related program

The Transatlantic Security Initiative, in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, shapes and influences the debate on the greatest security challenges facing the North Atlantic Alliance and its key partners.

Content

In the News

Jul 20, 2021

Binnendijk in Notes from Poland: Purchase of US Abrams tanks strengthens Poland and NATO against Russia

By Hans Binnendijk

Hans Binnendijk explains the importance of Poland's purchase of M1A2 Abrams tanks from the United States in shoring up Warsaw's military capabilities on NATO's eastern flank.

Central Europe Defense Policy

Fast Thinking

Jul 19, 2021

FAST THINKING: A turning point on Chinese hacking

By Atlantic Council

What does NATO’s buy-in mean for the world’s response to Chinese hacking? What tools do these allies have to fight back? Our experts messaged us (securely) with the answers.

Australia China

Blog Post

Jul 10, 2021

State of the Order: Assessing June 2021

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

Belarus China

UkraineAlert

Jul 1, 2021

The need for a renewed NATO

By French Hill

As the principal military pillar of the transatlantic partnership, NATO is essential to meeting the security challenges America and her allies face. However, if it is to be effective, it must evolve. It has done so in the past, and it can do so now, argues Rep. French Hill.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

SouthAsiaSource

Jun 30, 2021

Letter in support of the Afghan people by friends of Afghanistan: As US and NATO forces withdraw, we must not abandon the Afghan people and their democratic republic

This is an open letter organized by a coalition of Afghan women and friends of Afghanistan. The Afghan Women’s Network together with a larger coalition of Our Voices - Our Future and Together Stronger work to achieve peace and demand an end to the conflict and an equal representation of women across fields in Afghanistan. We believe in inclusive, just, practical, and sustainable peace in which women are equal citizens of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Human Rights

TURKEYSource

Jun 29, 2021

Biden-Erdoğan icebreaker could set the stage for a bilateral thaw

By Grady Wilson

Biden and Erdogan emerged from a long meeting on the sidelines of the June 14 NATO summit upbeat and positive, setting the stage for dialogue and progress in bilateral relations. Turkey and the United States share an expansive list of disagreements and tensions points as well as mutual interests and opportunities. Both sides are unanimous on the importance of bilateral relations but it remains to be seen how the two countries will manage their current challenges.

Conflict International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Jun 17, 2021

MARKUP: Our experts annotate the NATO communiqué

By Transatlantic Security Initiative

But what were they really saying amid all the jargon? And what was missing? Atlantic Council experts combed through the document and left their insights in the margins.

Europe & Eurasia European Union

New Atlanticist

Jun 17, 2021

The secret to NATO’s survival: Get political

By Jamie Shea and Michael John Williams

Why has NATO failed to be an effective political forum and what signs of progress must emerge from this week's summit? There are six core areas to watch over the next eighteen months.

Conflict Defense Policy

Fast Thinking

Jun 15, 2021

FAST THINKING: A new era for NATO

By Atlantic Council

The band is back together: NATO allies gathered at a Monday summit in Brussels. How will the meeting shape NATO’s future, and what cracks did it reveal in the Alliance?

China Climate Change & Climate Action

In the News

Jun 15, 2021

Vershbow in NBC News: The Biden-Putin summit features high stakes, low expectations

By Alexander Vershbow

Ambassador Alexander Vershbow was quoted in NBC News on the Biden-Putin Summit and explained that the Russian president does not necessarily want the more stable or predictable relationship that the US seeks.

Arms Control Eastern Europe

Experts

Events