Commentary
Central Asia’s digital ambitions are achievable, but only if policy is aligned with the region’s physical constraints.
Aruzhan Meirkhanova
{
"authors": [],
"type": "pressRelease",
"centerAffiliationAll": "",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"Carnegie Europe"
],
"collections": [
"Transatlantic Cooperation"
],
"englishNewsletterAll": "",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "",
"programs": [],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"Europe",
"North America"
],
"topics": [
"Foreign Policy",
"Security"
]
}
Source: Getty
Press Release
NATO Secretary General on Russia and the Islamic State
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen discussed Russia, the Middle East, and the transatlantic bond at an event hosted by Carnegie Europe.
Published on Sep 15, 2014
BRUSSELS—NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said today that the West is witnessing “challenges on a scale we have not seen for over two decades, and they will endure for years to come.”
Speaking at a Carnegie Europe event to mark the end of his mandate as NATO chief, Rasmussen said that “these past five years have been the busiest and most challenging—for NATO and for me personally.”
On Russia, Rasmussen asserted that NATO has “tried long and hard to build a partnership in a way that respects Russia’s security concerns and is based on international rules and norms.”
“Regrettably,” he said, “Russia considers NATO, and the West more broadly, as an adversary.” He added that “from Moldova to Georgia, and now in Ukraine, Russia has used economic pressure and military actions to produce instability, to manufacture conflicts, and to diminish the interdependence of its neighbors.”
The Islamic State “poses even more of a danger [to NATO allies] as it risks exporting terrorists to our countries,” Rasmussen warned. “It also controls energy assets, and it is pouring oil on the fire of sectarianism already burning across the Middle East and North Africa.”
He explained that a military response is necessary to degrade and defeat the terrorist organization.
In closing, Rasmussen said that the West is “on the frontline of a new battle between tolerance and fanaticism, between democracy and totalitarianism, between open and closed societies.” “Any lasting solution to a crisis will always be political and so diplomacy remains vital,” he said. “But to give ourselves the best chance of success, we must be prepared to back up diplomatic soft power with military hard power, when necessary.”
A transcript, video, and audio from the event are available on the Carnegie Europe website.
Press Contact: Christine Lynch | +32 2 209 29 93 | clynch@ceip.org
ABOUT CARNEGIE EUROPE
Carnegie Europe is the Brussels-based center of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Through publications, articles, seminars, and private consultations, Carnegie Europe aims to foster new thinking on the daunting international challenges shaping Europe’s role in the world.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
- Power, Pathways, and Policy: Grounding Central Asia’s Digital Ambitions
- The Afghanistan–Pakistan War Poses Awkward Questions for RussiaCommentary
Not only does the fighting jeopardize regional security, it undermines Russian attempts to promote alternatives to the Western-dominated world order.
Ruslan Suleymanov
- Moldova Floats a New Approach to Its Transnistria ConundrumCommentary
Moldova’s reintegration plan was drawn up to demonstrate to Brussels that Chișinău is serious about the Transnistria issue—and to get the West to react.
Vladimir Solovyov
- Lukashenko’s Bromance With Trump Has a Sell-By DateCommentary
Lukashenko is willing to make big sacrifices for an invitation to Mar-a-Lago or the White House. He also knows that the clock is ticking: he must squeeze as much out of the Trump administration as he can before congressional elections in November leave Trump hamstrung or distracted.
Artyom Shraibman
- What the Russian Energy Sector Stands to Gain From War in the Middle EastCommentary
The future trajectory of the U.S.-Iran war remains uncertain, but its impact on global energy trade flows and ties will be far-reaching. Moscow is likely to become a key beneficiary of these changes; the crisis in the Gulf also strengthens Russia’s hand in its relationships with China and India, where advantages might prove more durable.
Sergey Vakulenko
