Challenge the NATO driver

As the longest-serving Prime Minister of the Netherlands with 14 years in power, Mr. Mark Rutte is considered a seasoned politician . But the position of NATO Secretary General is not an easy thing for Mr. Mark Rutte.

New NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (left) and his predecessor Jens Stoltenberg at a press conference at the alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on October 1. (Source: Reuters)

Officially taking the seat of his predecessor Jens Stoltenberg on October 1, on Mark Rutte's desk is a thick list of challenges that NATO is facing.

First is the ambitious reform plan to deploy a new force model to effectively protect Europe and NATO members. Next is maintaining the ability to provide military support to Ukraine and ensuring close US links with Europe. This goal can only be achieved with consensus within the alliance, because NATO's capacity depends not only on military strength, but also on political unity.

However, this is a time when there are many disputes within NATO. For example, to strengthen the defense of the eastern flank, NATO needs to convince members to move more military equipment in this direction, something that not all countries agree on because it affects their military potential.

Or like military support for Ukraine, NATO has continuously encountered opposition from Hungary and recently Slovakia, members who believe that it is necessary to find a political, not a military, solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Meanwhile, the transatlantic relationship is at risk of decline if former US President Donald Trump, a figure who has little sympathy for NATO's existence, returns to power after the election in November 2024.

Experience in managing a governing coalition in the Netherlands is no guarantee of Mark Rutte's success at the helm of a 32-nation alliance like NATO.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thach-thuc-nguoi-cam-lai-nato-288592.html