NATO at 70: From Triumph to Tumult?
To mark NATO's 70th anniversary, nine GMF experts share their opinions and viewpoints on NATO’s future at this crucial time for the transatlantic community. On April 3, GMF, along with the Atlantic Council and Munch Security Conference will host a town hall-style event to encourage a broader public conversation about the importance of NATO and celebrate its achievements over the last seven decades. Watch live on gmfus.org.
Click to download the full report here or read the individual sections below.
A Nervous Anniversary
By rights, this should not be a contentious anniversary for the North Atlantic Alliance. Allies can look back on a history of success in the core mission of collective defense, having held at bay and finally seen the collapse of a highly capable adversary.
NATO: 70 Years Old, 20 Years Young 
On April 4, NATO will turn 70 years old—but it is also 20 years young. In 1999, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary joined it.
Still in the U.S. Enlightened Self-Interest
Forged in the smoldering rubble of the Second World War, NATO demonstrates its value every day—from advancing shared security interests to acting as a force-multiplier for Western democracies.
Complementarity, not Competition
By Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer and Martin Quencez
France is a founding member of NATO and has always seen itself as a key military and security actor in Europe.
Security Ma
tters to the Western Balkans
As NATO members meet in Washington to celebrate the alliance’s 70th anniversary, their goal is to project political unity.
An Increasingly Serious Black Sea Player
With Romania and Bulgaria joining the alliance in 2004, bringing up to three—with Turkey—the number of littoral member states, NATO became an even more serious presence in the Black Sea.
Fearing Change in a Vital Institution
For Germany, NATO has been vital in the last decades. The country’s recent history and its successes cannot be disentangled from the existence of the alliance.
Turkey’s Questionable Commitment to NATO
After almost 70 years as a member of NATO, Turkey’s long-term commitment to the alliance has become debatable.