New NATO chief Mark Rutte to face multiple challenges in maintaining alliance unity
New NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will need to leverage his coalition-building skills to maintain unity within the alliance amid the Ukraine-Russia war and political uncertainty in Washington, according to a Reuters report published on Sept. 30.
Rutte will replace Jens Stoltenberg on Oct. 1, marking the first time in a decade that the top post in the alliance will change hands.
According to Reuters, much will depend on Rutte's ability to achieve consensus among the 32 NATO member countries, as the alliance's capacity to protect nearly 1 billion of their citizens relies not only on military power but also on political unity.
Rutte will immediately face a multitude of challenges, from the potential return of NATO-skeptic Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency—the dominant power in the alliance—to calls from Eastern European allies for reinforcements to defend against Russia and requests for increased military aid to Ukraine, which is not a member of the alliance.
NATO officials and diplomats expect Rutte to continue Stoltenberg's priorities: mobilizing support for official Kyiv, pushing NATO countries to increase defense spending, and involving the United States in ensuring European security.
Rutte, 57, who served as the prime minister of the Netherlands for 14 years, is an experienced figure on the global stage.
“The fact that he is so experienced in finding ways to go forward, compromises, persuading people, convincing people, connecting to people – I think that will come in very, very useful,” said former Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren, who worked with Rutte for many years.
Ollongren and other officials describe Rutte's leadership style as "extremely driven and hands-on," which could be a shock for a hierarchical organization like NATO.
“He will never think: Oh, well, I can leave this until tomorrow,” Ollongren told Reuters.
According to Ollongren, Rutte combines courtesy with firm statements, such as when he confronted Trump during a live press conference or when he shook hands with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin during his visit to Amsterdam for so long that Putin was forced to see protesters with LGBT support flags.
As Reuters notes, after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, NATO doubled the number of troops deployed in its eastern member countries, now totaling around 10,000. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of troops can be quickly deployed if needed.
However, Eastern NATO members still need more troops and weapons, especially air defense systems, in the face of the Russian threat. This means they will have to convince Western members of the alliance to shift more of their military forces and resources to the east.
Since NATO decisions are based on consensus, the authority of the NATO chief depends on proposing political ideas and convincing national leaders to support them.
NATO officials and diplomats told Reuters that Rutte, as NATO secretary general, may have to curb his typically “Dutch fixation on fiscal frugality”.
According to Alliance analysts, in 2024, only 23 out of 32 members will meet the previously stated goal of spending at least 2% of GDP on defense.
Many NATO officials argue that spending needs to be increased even further—possibly to 2.5% of GDP and more—for additional military units and armaments.
“This is a challenge for him (Rutte) – to persuade the member states to invest more in their own defences and much faster, to procure capabilities that go far beyond the existing ones,” said Slovakia's former ambassador to NATO Peter Bator.
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