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North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

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As a military alliance with roots in the Cold War, NATO's strategy and purpose have had to shift since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. RAND has assisted U.S. and European defense establishments by recommending expansion strategies; analyzing activities in the Balkans and Afghanistan, areas outside NATO's traditional focus; and advising decisionmakers on issues critical to NATO's mission and the interests of its member nations.

Report
Avoiding a Long War in Ukraine
The United States has a strong interest in avoiding a long war in Ukraine. Although Washington cannot alone determine the war's duration, it can take steps to make an eventual negotiated peace more likely.
Jan 25, 2023
Commentary
A New Era? NATO's Prioritisation of Human Security in an Insecure World
Human security and NATO's role and responsibility to protect civilians during conflict saw new prioritization in the alliance's 2022 Strategic Concept. While much progress has been made, more could be done to ensure the alliance can deliver on these commitments.
Aug 10, 2022

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Commentary
A 'Glass Half-Full': Next Steps for Enhancing Deterrence on NATO's Eastern Flank
The United States and key allies have taken steps toward redressing the imbalance in military power between NATO and Russia in Northeastern Europe. But NATO's defense planners must be clear-eyed about what remains to be done.
Feb 12, 2018
Report
Assessing the Imbalance of Military Power in Europe
Since 2008 Russia has been expanding and refining its readiness for conventional warfare. These improvements have reduced the qualitative and technological gaps between Russia and NATO. What do recent trends imply for the balance of capabilities in NATO member states in the Baltic Sea region?
Feb 5, 2018
Blog
Amphibious Plans and Posture in Support of NATO Event Held at RAND
A RAND workshop focused on the importance of amphibious and maritime forces working together within NATO. This provided a venue for dialogue and idea exchange about maritime and amphibious challenges and opportunities in Europe.
Jan 19, 2018
Commentary
How NATO Could Accidentally Trigger a War with Russia
An increased NATO presence in the Baltics could motivate Russia for an invasion. U.S. and NATO deployments in the region should take seriously Russian beliefs about NATO capabilities in planning future deployments, and by pursuing transparency and negotiation in future deployments in the Baltic region.
Nov 13, 2017
Commentary
Deterring the Unthinkable: NATO's Role Along the Eastern Flank
As NATO defense ministers meet in Brussels to set the stage for the 2018 NATO summit, key issues will include defense burden-sharing and NATO’s role to the south in counterterrorism and refugee management. But strengthening deterrence to the East must remain the top priority for the alliance.
Nov 7, 2017
Report
How Might Russia Respond to U.S. and NATO Posture Changes?
The escalation in tensions between Russia and NATO since 2014 has led to numerous proposals to enhance U.S. and NATO posture on the Alliance's eastern flank. Assessing Russia's possible reactions is vital to any analysis of which posture and capability enhancements the U.S. and NATO should pursue.
Oct 10, 2017
Report
Measuring the Health of the International Order
The liberal international order that has been in place since 1945 is relatively stable. But the order is threatened by geopolitical and domestic socioeconomic trends that call into question its assumptions. U.S. support and engagement over the coming decade will be essential.
Sep 5, 2017
Report
Strengthening Strategic Stability with Russia
Strategic stability between the United States and Russia is eroding, but the two countries still share a deep interest in avoiding nuclear war. Strengthening stability will be challenging. Meaningful progress will require courage and sacrifices on both sides.
Jul 7, 2017
Report
Emerging Opportunities for Engagement on NATO's Northeastern Flank
Will renewed tension between NATO and Russia prevent key U.S. allies and partners in Europe from being able to contribute to U.S. regional defense objectives? What can the U.S. do to strengthen its European partnerships?
Jun 20, 2017
Commentary
NATO: Prepared for Countering Disinformation Operations in the Baltic States?
NATO alliance countries deploying to the Baltics should prepare to deal with increasing levels of disinformation. An open and robust communication strategy could be crucial in tackling a sophisticated Russian disinformation campaign aimed at disrupting support for these deployments.
Jun 7, 2017
Commentary
Georgia Wants Reassurance That America Will Help Deter Russia
Georgia is an emerging democracy in a difficult region with mainly authoritarian regimes nearby. To overcome severe challenges from Russian military occupation and economic weakness, it deserves sustained Western support.
May 25, 2017
News Release
Russia Perceives U.S.-Led International Order as a Threat to Its Security and Interests, but Also Seeks Cooperation
Russia sees the international order as dominated by the United States and as a threat to its interests. While U.S. and Russian interests overlap and cooperation is feasible in some areas like counterterrorism, others conflict, such as U.S. support for liberal democracy and the expansion of NATO. What are U.S. policy options?
May 18, 2017
Report
How Does Russia View the International Order?
Russia sees the U.S.-led international order as a threat to its interests. U.S. and Russian interests overlap in some areas, such as counterterrorism. But they are directly opposed in others. What are America's policy options?
May 18, 2017
Report
Lessons from Russia's Operations in Ukraine
Russia's annexation of Crimea was a decisive use of military force toward political ends. But Russia benefited from favorable circumstances that make this hard to replicate. Moscow likely considers its campaign in Eastern Ukraine a strategic success but an unsuccessful operation.
May 9, 2017
Commentary
NATO's Role in Post-Caliphate Stability Operations
Steps are needed to fill the vacuum left as the caliphate collapses, lest forces on the ground turn on each other to gain control. The answer is for NATO to act under U.S. leadership. The alternative is either chaos or Iran — backed by Russia — filling the void.
May 2, 2017
Testimony
Deterring Russian Aggression in the Baltic States: What it Takes to Win: Addendum
Document submitted April 17, 2017, as an addendum to testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces on March 1, 2017.
May 2, 2017
Testimony
Limiting Regret: Building the Army We Will Need — An Update: Addendum
Document submitted April 17, 2017, as an addendum to testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces on March 1, 2017.
May 2, 2017
Multimedia
Direction of Foreign Policy in Trump Administration's First 100 Days
In this Call with the Experts, RAND senior fellow, James Dobbins, as well as RAND senior international policy analyst, Linda Robinson, discuss the Trump administration's emerging foreign policy strategy as it approaches the symbolic 100-day milestone.
Apr 26, 2017
Report
European Relations with Russia in the Wake of the Ukrainian Crisis
Perceptions of Russia as a military threat differ sharply across Europe. But European leaders generally agree that relations with Russia have changed irreparably, tensions are unlikely to recede anytime soon, and future actions toward Russia will depend on Moscow's behavior.
Apr 13, 2017
Commentary
A Three-Menu Path for Trump Foreign Policy
The Trump administration would benefit from a comprehensive strategic orientation — a basic set of operating principles backed by a set of actions and realistic budget — to guide the innumerable tactical decisions of U.S. foreign policy.
Apr 10, 2017

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RAND Topic:
North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Topic Synonyms:
NATO;
North Atlantic Alliance;
OTAN

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Monika Cooper

Senior Technical Analyst

Monika Cooper (she/her) is a senior technical advisor at RAND Corporation in Arlington, VA, and previously served on the International Staff as a Communications, Command, Control, and Surveillance (C3S) life cycle expert for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, Belgium from…
James Dobbins

Senior Fellow

Ambassador James Dobbins is a senior fellow and distinguished chair in Diplomacy and Security at the RAND Corporation. He has held State Department and White House posts including assistant secretary of State for Europe, special assistant to the president for the Western Hemisphere, special…

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