The [covid] virus has revealed fundamental flaws in the strategies many states employ to provide security for their people.
NATO has become an enemy of progressive attempts to create the global conditions for nuclear disarmament. The report’s recommendation to continue an antagonistic response to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), for example, on the basis that, “it will never contribute to practical disarmament, nor will it affect international law”...is deeply disrespectful both to those 122 countries that endorsed the Treaty and the 51 that have ratified (so far).
Whether we like it or not, the TPNW is now part of international law since 22 January 2021, one that directly binds those states who have ratified. NATO’s continued refusal to recognise this reality puts it and its members on the wrong side of the law, undermining any criticisms they may have for others, such as Russia, that appear to have a partial respect for it. NATO does indeed need a period of reflection to assess its relevance to the unfolding 21st Century, but the expert group report is regressive, and holds no hope of any genuine reassessment. The Alliance needs instead to consider how it can genuinely improve its contribution to global security in a manner that recognises the interdependencies between states within the international community.