One of the founding fathers of the United States, Samuel Adams, once said: ‘We cannot make events. Our business is wisely to improve them.’
NATO arrives in Chicago in 2012 with a similar sentiment.
One of the founding fathers of the United States, Samuel Adams, once said: ‘We cannot make events. Our business is wisely to improve them.’
NATO arrives in Chicago in 2012 with a similar sentiment.
At the previous Lisbon Summit in 2010, the Alliance had mapped out a new mission statement or ‘Strategic Concept’. But less than 6 months later, events in Libya tested many parts of that concept sooner and harder than expected.
Nonetheless, thousands of Libyan civilians were protected by NATO’s campaign in 2011.
The unpredictability of security is almost predictable. And in a sense, the Chicago Summit is an attempt to make sure that NATO remains ready to handle these surprises.
One of the areas it will have to tackle is Afghanistan – and how to stay on course no matter how many times the drawdown roadmap is challenged.
In this Chicago Summit special edition, NATO Review hears from some of security’s key players on how they see the security road ahead.
President Barack Obama describes what it means to him to bring NATO to his hometown. NATO’s Secretary General Rasmussen sets out his vision for what can be achieved at Chicago and beyond. We hear stories of people as well as policies. We find out what it’s like to be from both sides of the Atlantic. And what role NATO has played in forming people’s lives.
Finally, we remember one of Europe’s most dignified and talented advocates of freedom and democracy: Václav Havel.
The man who rose from being a downtrodden poet to the President of his newly-free country is remembered by a man who worked under him – today’s Czech Republic’s Defence Minister. Havel once said: ‘We should not forget any of those who paid for our present freedom in one way or another.’ It is a sentiment that we can honour in Chicago – with him in mind.
