Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 25, 2017

From L-R, Belgium's King Philippe, U.S. President Donald Trump, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Belgian's Prime Minister Charles Michel gather with NATO member leaders to pose for a family picture before the start of their summit in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

Seth Johnston, RCD/Modern War Institute: How NATO Endures in the Twenty-First Century

Nearly seven decades after its founding, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is far from “obsolete.” This MWI Report examines how global institutions like NATO stay relevant, unified, and effective in the face of new crises. Change is central to the story of how NATO has avoided obsolescence and endured. Nearly every aspect of NATO—from its missions to its membership—is strikingly different than at the Alliance’s founding in 1949. Using a theoretical framework of “critical junctures” to explain variation in NATO’s organizational structure and strategy throughout its sometimes turbulent history, this report argues that the organization’s own bureaucratic actors played pivotal, yet overlooked, roles in NATO’s adaptation. It posits that NATO is remarkably resilient and will adapt to meet new bureaucratic challenges and security threats, from Russian military incursions into its neighbors to the rise of the Islamic State in the Middle East.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 25, 2017

Trump Omission in NATO Comments Rankles European Allies -- Julian E. Barnes and Carol E. Lee, WSJ

Trump Declines to Affirm NATO's Article 5 -- Rosie Gray, The Atlantic

It's Time for NATO to Call Turkey's Bluff -- Eric Edelman and Merve Tahiroglu, Weekly Standard

How Trump's visit revamped US Mideast policy -- Ephraim Sneh, Al-Monitor

We Can't Predict Whether Trump Will Succeed in the Middle East -- Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic

AP Analysis: Rouhani’s hardest challenge may be Iran’s hopes -- Adam Schreck, AP

Are U.S. and Iran on a Collision Course in Syria? -- Dan De Luce & Paul McLeary, Foreign Policy

Is Libya a failed state? -- Alan MacKenzie, DW

Why Libya is still a global terror threat -- Alia Brahimi, The Guardian

China’s imperial overreach -- Brahma Chellaney, The Strategist

Japan, South Korea Shaken by Pyongyang, Beijing – And Now, Washington -- Will Edwards, The Cipher Brief

Moldova Between Russia and the West: A Delicate Balance -- Eugene Rumer, Carnegie Endowment

Independence referendum blame game heats up in Spain -- Diego Torres, Politico

Puerto Rico’s Political and Economic Crisis Deepens -- Ed Morales, The Nation

This Time, Not for Prestige: The Space Race in the 21st Century -- Adam Routh, NRO