| Publication |
2012.
|
| Summary/Abstract |
Twenty years after the great debate over NATO's future at the end of the Cold War, we appear to have come full circle-"back to the future," in John Mearsheimer's words. Its instrumental role in pacifying the Balkans, its major commitment in Afghanistan, and its recent operation in Libya notwithstanding, the role and relevance of the alliance appear no more certain today than they were when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. International relations specialists are certainly wondering. Rajan Menon has recently pondered "the end of alliances," and Stanley Sloan speculated about whether NATO might no longer be a "permanent alliance." In April 2011, James Joyner joyfully declared that the Libyan operation was helping "NATO get its groove back," but only four months later, toward the end of an exhausting half-year battle with Muammar el-Qaddafi's third-rate force, he was much less optimistic, penning a commentary for the National Interest titled "NATO fails in Libya."
|