June 16th, 2020, BRATISLAVA — In the lastest edition of Euro Policy, US Ambassador Bridget Brink shared her thoughs on the future of the North Atkantic Treaty Organization. Below is the exerpt of the Ambassadors addition to the paper. Click here for the full Euro Policy featuring the Ambassador.
“NATO should emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic with a renewed commitment to the fundamental values that the Alliance is built upon. It is clear that the authoritarian, non-transparent instincts of the Chinese Communist Party as the virus emerged greatly facilitated its spread and prevented effective early containment measures. At the same time, the democratic nations that make up the NATO Alliance took immediate and transparent action to protect their own citizens and offer help to others. Others immediately began to spread disinformation about the origin of the virus and claim false credit for countering the spread of it. The lesson is clear—a commitment to shared, democratic values remains our first and most effective line of defense, whether that threat comes in the form of military aggression, hybrid warfare, or life-threatening pandemics. As Allies and partner nations emerge from the immediate crisis of the pandemic and begin to confront the challenge of restarting our economies, we must remember that security will continue to be the foundation for our stability and prosperity“