NATO faces the challenge of combining European and American alliances to deal with global problems, said Kurt Volker, principal deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs for the State Department, before a crowd of students, professors and community members in Robertson Hall yesterday afternoon.
He noted that the United States must work cooperatively with its European allies in NATO because "we are only effective at dealing with [other countries] if we deal with them together."
Volker, who worked under NATO's former secretary general Lord George Robertson for several years, has been nominated by President Bush to represent the United States on the NATO Council as a permanent representative.
NATO members "are countries that have democracy, human rights, market economies [and] peaceful negotiations," he explained. "We face a lot of challenges in the world that don't fit the mold, and that's what we have to work with."
"We see in Europe a sense of disconnect between wellbeing as nations ... and a sense that that wellbeing still depends upon security," he said.
Volker cited the disparities in defense spending as a share of GDP as a key difference between the transatlantic allies, explaining that the United States spends between 4 and 5 percent of its annual GDP on defense and military spending, while in Europe the figure is on average between 1.3 and 1.4 percent.
Volker also outlined NATO's current priorities.
At the NATO summit meeting next month in Budapest, Volker said, there will be five "top issues to watch": "Afghanistan, Kosovo, missile defense, [NATO] enlargement and membership-action plan between Georgia and Ukraine."
"What happens in Afghanistan matters to us. NATO has taken responsibility for what happens there," Volker said, admitting that there is a good amount of public apprehension about the chances for success.
The summit needs to address "what can we be doing to improve, to refocus the efforts," he said. He gave examples of education, building roads, drug issues, extremism and infant mortality as priorities. Volker expects additional personnel contributions toward the Afghanistan problem in the near future.
Volker moved on to state that "NATO has a particular role in Kosovo," explaining that NATO forces in Kosovo aim to protect minority populations and emphasizing he is confident that these forces will try to pacify "possible disruptions in security."
"Serbia is, I think, angry, upset, disappointed," he said in response to an audience question about the impact of Kosovo's recent declaration of independence.
"It's been calm in Kosovo for the last week," he said. "I think NATO's job is to maintain peace, security and development and not rise to every bait ... you have to let things go, and you have to focus on the big things," he said.
Missile defense was also an issue of concern, he said, citing Iran as a specific part of this issue.
"Iran is probably the biggest threat that we have," Volker said in a question-and-answer session following his talk, adding that "the only way NATO is addressing this [directly] is missile defense."
He added that there is also concern about Russia's aggressive tactics over the past few years.
"Russia feel[s] it has a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe," he explained, adding that cooperating with Russia is a necessity and a top priority, especially with regard to its relationships with the Ukraine and Georgia.
"We've seen a disappointing trend in Russia away from democracy," Volker said, citing Russia's use of energy as a threat against its neighbors. He added, however, that the Russia problem should not redirect NATO's focus away from its other missions. "Instead, we need to stay focused on our agenda, then reach out to Russia," he said.
"I don't think Russia is a threat to world peace at the moment," Volker said in response to an audience question, explaining that Russia is trying to build on its strength and that the growth of its market economy and the rise of the middle class have been positive trends.
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