International society, once marked by predictable institutions and norms, is now increasingly marred by violations of international law and uncertainty. Near-daily disruptions, including territorial aggression and economic coercion, are undermining the global equilibrium upon which decades of peace and prosperity depended. The present utility of NATO lies in its ability to salvage the transatlantic bond, ensure cohesion among its members, and Read More…
Author: Justin M.J. Dell
NATO75 – Making the Most of Black Swans
There is an apocryphal quotation commonly attributed to Vladimir Lenin, that, “There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.” This apposite reflection on the uneven velocity of historical change could have been written of the new, narrow epoch the Atlantic Community finds itself in at the current moment. Only five Read More…
Special Report: Did NATO “Promise” Russia Not to Enlarge?
A common trope in Russia’s discourse about NATO is the charge that the organization has not dealt with Moscow in good faith. Many Russians, of which Putin is a particularly vocal example, allege that Western officials assured their Soviet counterparts during the Two Plus Four negotiations (West Germany and East Germany plus the US, USSR, France, and the UK) on German reunification in Read More…
Jean Chrétien Offers Up Wit and Wisdom at the NATO Association Gala.
Jean Chrétien, Canada’s twentieth prime minister, had his audience in an effervescent mood on March 15th at the Globe and Mail Centre. As the guest of honour at an event organized by the NATO Association of Canada to recognize Mr. Chrétien’s legacy in Canadian foreign affairs and his contributions to the evolution of NATO, he Read More…
Special Report: What Is to Be Done?
In this special report, NAOC Senior Editor Justin Dell argues that the Allied withdrawal from Afghanistan does not just constitute another military defeat for the West, but portends an existential crisis for Western civilization. If the leaders of the states that comprise NATO want to preserve the global order they inherited after 1945, and again after 1991, they need to get serious about their self-narrative in the 21st century.
Special Report – Trump’s NATO Legacy: What Does It Mean for Joe Biden?
In this special report, NAOC Senior Editor, Justin Dell, provides a dispassionate analysis of Donald Trump’s legacy for NATO by setting it against the backdrop of the wider historical context of American domestic politics. He explores its implications for Joe Biden’s relationship with the alliance.
2020 Vision: The Need to Expand the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves
2020 has been rough for Canada and for the world. In this article, Justin Dell argues that the emergence of multiple security contingencies across the globe this year, many of which pose a direct threat to Canadians, necessitates that policymakers significantly enlarge the Canadian Armed Forces reserves in order to ensure that Canadian military personnel are not stretched too thinly as they respond to an ever-growing list of emergencies.
Special Report: Could, Should, and Would Israel Become a NATO Member?
Justin Dell examines if Israel Could, Should, and Would Become a NATO Member?
A Review of Dr. Stanley Sloan’s, “Defense of the West”
“Justin Dell takes an in-depth look at this indispensable companion for the student of transatlantic security.”
A Tale of Two Salmans
Thirty years after the “Satanic Verses” controversy, the transnational threat to freedom of speech and the press is more acute than ever. The recent murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi – likely orchestrated by Saudi Arabia – is a case in point. So far, the pressure has been on Washington to punish Saudi Arabia, but Justin Dell argues that this issue is too combustable to be left to bilateral relations. What is needed is a broader multilateral approach, first to holding Saudi Arabia responsible for Khashoggi’s murder, and then to uphold the universal values of freedom of speech and expression. Only then can some kind of justice be obtained without risking the further destabilization of the Middle East.