FP July 9, 2023 : NATO Annual Summit in Vilnius

 JULY 9, 2023  |  VIEW IN BROWSER

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Mark Harris illustration for Foreign Policy

On Tuesday, NATO leaders will convene for their annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Ahead of the meeting, all eyes are on the newly revived alliance and the challenges it faces in the second year of Russia’s war in Ukraine. As FP’s Stefan Theil writes, NATO has gone “back to its roots as a bulwark of the trans-Atlantic West against an expansionist Kremlin.”

Will Turkey continue to block Sweden’s accession? Will NATO clear a membership path for Ukraine? And how is the alliance thinking about more distant challenges, including threats from China? We explore these questions and more in the essays below—which serve as a guide of sorts to thinking about what NATO is today and where it might be headed.—Chloe Hadavas

1

NATO’s Next Decade

Nine thinkers assess the alliance’s future ahead of a historic summit.

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Dmytro Kuleba, Kristi Raik, Angela Stent, Liana Fix, Ulrich Speck, A. Wess Mitchell, Ben Hodges, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Stefan Theil

2

Can NATO Finally Make the 2 Percent Stick?

The Vilnius summit will test whether Europe’s wealthiest countries can get serious about defense.

By Bradley Bowman, Jack Sullivan

3

U.S. Elites Agree on NATO Enlargement 

A new poll reveals strong support for Sweden’s accession to the security alliance.

By Irene Entringer García Blanes, Shauna N. Gillooly, Ella Kuhnhenn, Susan Peterson, Michael J. Tierney

A closer look at the bigger picture.

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4

Don’t Promise Ukraine NATO Membership Now 

Bringing Kyiv into the alliance soon could harden Russia’s resolve, frustrate potential peace efforts, and play into the Kremlin’s propaganda.

By John R. Deni

5

Will Erdogan Finally Ratify Sweden’s NATO Accession? No One Knows. 

It is now a waiting game—and that’s how it should be.

By Sinan Ciddi

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