NTI Resources for the NATO Summit

NTI has a range of resources available on NATO nuclear policy and the 2012 Summit in Chicago. 

NTI has experts available for media commentary. 

Web Commentary:  Chicago and Beyond
Leaders of the 28 NATO member states will gather in Chicago May 20-21 for the 2012 NATO Summit where they will unveil the results of NATO's Deterrence and Defense Posture Review (DDPR), tasked at the 2010 Lisbon summit.  Although it appears unlikely that NATO members will announce bold changes or agree on a clear strategy, maintaining the nuclear status quo may soon be untenable, given changing budget and security priorities. In Chicago, NATO leaders should ensure the final document lays the foundation for future changes on a host of related issues, from tactical nuclear weapons to nuclear use or “declaratory” policy.

Nunn and Schmidt Propose Urgent Steps for NATO
NTI Co-Chairman Sam Nunn and former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt published an op-ed in The International Herald Tribune urging NATO countries to work with Russia to make a positive contribution to nuclear threat reduction: “The common interests of the United States, Europe and Russia are more aligned today than at any point in modern history. We must seize this historic opportunity and act accordingly.”

A Way Forward for NATO
A new NTI report, Reducing Nuclear Risks in Europe: A Framework for Action, proposes a blueprint within NATO and with Russia for moving to a new nuclear posture in Europe and features an essay by NTI co-chairman Sam Nunn. The report also includes chapters authored by leading international experts on key NATO nuclear policy issues, including: declaratory policy; the security of tactical nuclear weapons; nuclear sharing arrangements; reassurance; conventional arms and missile defense; cooperation with Russia; and Asia's nuclear future.

NATO-Russia Dialogue: Can It Succeed?
NTI’s Steve Andreasen participated in a panel examining the prospects for successful dialogue between NATO and Russia at “SMART Defense and the Future of NATO,” an event sponsored by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Visit the site for extensive NATO resources.

Issue Brief: Delaying Decisions: NATO's Deterrence and Defense Posture Review
In a new issue brief, Miles Pomper, Nikolai Sokov and Meghan Warren of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies look beyond Chicago and examine options for the future deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe.  They write, "the DDPR must consider the reality of the U.S. conventional drawdown and alliance-wide fiscal restrictions if it is to provide feasible recommendations about the future of NATO's conventional and nuclear forces."

More Summit Resources

• From Global Security Newswire: "NATO Should Use Summit to Address U.S. Tactical Nukes in Europe, Experts Say" (5/11/2012). Subscribe to the free, independent e-daily, produced by The National Journal, or get the headlines on Twitter.
• The European Leadership Network, a partner of NTI's Nuclear Security Project, offers a series of briefs from former ministers, current and serving officials, as well as leading thinkers.
• More than 40 former European leaders are calling on NATO members, meeting in Chicago this weekend for the 2012 NATO Summit, to take concrete steps toward changing the nuclear status quo. The leaders' statement, released today by the European Leadership Network, acknowledges that "so far, the signs do not look good" for changes based on the results of the DDPR. However, the leaders strongly encourage NATO members to begin work on a strategy to reduce nuclear risks in Europe while strengthening NATO’s ability to respond to today's threats