A great excerpt from former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (and one of my favorite professors at Georgetown) speaking in Chicago about the NATO Conference! Generally, her comments align with my recent NATO Primer. Dr. Albright reiterates the importance of the Summit as a “glue” to keep countries looking towards a “common purpose” in what is a very busy election year (US, France, UK possibly).
She does make a great point regarding how negotiations are conducted at summits. The main sessions will include all NATO members as well as “Friends of NATO.” So we are talking about up to fifty heads of state in one room! Thus, she notes that many negotiations will be taking place in ad-hoc bilateral meetings. Finally, she admits that there is little faith in NATO and other international institutions – everyone is looking for the “right international institution.” Hopefully, this summit will be a step towards a more purposeful NATO!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msqRNp7yXh4 (Don’t worry its only 5 minutes!)
Andrew Levin 