A concice review bringing together differing perspectives and orientations to provide a complete understanding of the future of the Atlantic Alliance, its relationship with the US, and its implications for global security.

List of Illustrations List of Tables Foreword: The Significance of NATO’s Seventieth Anniversary John W. Schmidt Part 1. History of NATO 1. The Atlantic Alliance in the Twenty-First Century—Can It Survive? Michael O. Slobodchikoff, G. Doug Davis, and Brandon Stewart 2. The Strategic Importance of the Atlantic Alliance Robert E. Hunter 3. A Strategic Examination of the Past, Present, and Future of the Atlantic Alliance Jeff J. Mrazik 4. The Historical Significance of NATO Mary N. Hampton Part 2. NATO Regional Operations 5. Examining the “Ground Truth” from Military Operations in Afghanistan and Iraq: Engaging Islam, State-Building, and NATO’s Involvement in Modern Conflicts Richard Ledet, Sharon Emeigh, and Pete A. Turner 6. Gunship Diplomacy: NATO Air Deployments to the Baltics as Strategic Messaging Chris Rein 7. Why Oriental Studies Are Essential to NATO’s Struggle against Jihadi Islam Boris Havel Part 3. Hybrid and Cyber Warfare and NATO 8. Hybrid Warfare and the Challenge of Cyberattacks Wesley Clark 9. NATO Burden Sharing in the Age of Hybrid Warfare: A Necessary Change in NATO’s Policies and Outlooks Tad A. Schnaufer II Part 4. Threats to NATO 10. The Defense of the Baltic States: It Is Better to Be Prepared for a War That Never Comes than to Rely on a Peace That Did Not Last Jānis Karlsbergs 11. Fractured Loyalties: Ethnic Minorities, Russia, and Threats to NATO Brandon Stewart 12. The Demographic Threat G. Doug Davis and Michael O. Slobodchikoff Part 5. The Future of NATO 13. The Relevance of the Atlantic Alliance: “Brain Dead” or Still Vital? Robert G. Bell 14. The Future of NATO and the Strategic Black Sea Area George-Cristian Maior 15. NATO’s Future: The Show Must Go On G. Doug Davis, Brandon Stewart, and Michael O. Slobodchikoff Contributors

“One of the keys to protecting the national security of the United States is our strong support for NATO. Since World War II, the Atlantic Alliance was established to make clear to Russia and any adversary that the U.S. will stand with our allies to defend our national security. There can be no ifs, ands, or buts to our commitment to NATO.”—Leon E. Panetta, former secretary of defense