A Canadian Primer to the NATO Summit in Brussels July 11-12, 2018 /

A Canadian Primer to the NATO Summit in Brussels July 11-12, 2018 Page 2 by Colin Robertson July 2018 A Canadian Primer to the NATO Summit in Brussels July 11-12, 2018 In the words of its first secretary general, Lord Ismay, NATO was to “keep the Russians out, the Germans down, and the Americans in”. [...] NATO is the classic defensive alliance with Article 5 of its charter declaring that “an attack on one is an attack on all.” Arguably the world’s most successful military alliance, alliance unity and its deterrence capacity contributed significantly to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War, the reunification of Germany and the demise of the communist threat in Europe. [...] A Canadian Primer to the NATO Summit in Brussels July 11-12, 2018 Page 4 by Colin Robertson July 2018 A Canadian Primer to the NATO Summit in Brussels July 11-12, 2018 The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2014 presented NATO with a renewed challenge. [...] A Canadian Primer to the NATO Summit in Brussels July 11-12, 2018 Page 6 by Colin Robertson July 2018 A Canadian Primer to the NATO Summit in Brussels July 11-12, 2018 Big Ticket Items 1. NATO Readiness to Reinforce Collective Defence (including investing in capabilities) The Russian invasion of Ukraine and intervention in Syria underline the need for NATO readiness. [...] In 2009, NATO and Russia signed an accord to “build together a lasting and inclusive peace in the Euro-Atlantic area on the principles of democracy and co-operative security.” The NATO-Russia Council, created in 2002 and suspended in 2014 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has resumed with seven meetings over the past two years.