"Europe is under pressure, both internally and from its allies, to take more responsibility for defence and security, especially in its immediate neighbourhood. The post-Cold War history of European deployments in Europe and joint NATO missions provide abundant evidence of such demands. Currently, US defence spending represents 72 percent of the NATO total – up from 63 percent in 2001."

Although there is no formal institutional connection between India and NATO, India and the NATO allies, most importantly the United States, informally share an interest in maintaining maritime security in the Indian Ocean and have spent significant resources to combat piracy in this vast area.

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In light of Afghan president Karzai's recent comments, Leslie H. Gelb advocates an expedited withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Alliances usually come to an end when the threat that led to their formation disappears. However, NATO defies the historical norm, not only surviving well beyond the Cold War's end, but also expanding its membership and broadening its mission.

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NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen held a final press conference on February 22, 2013, after meetings of NATO Defence Ministers regarding the International Security Assistance Force and the transition in Afghanistan.

A broad-sweeping look at international efforts to prevent armed conflict. This is part of the Global Governance Monitor, an interactive feature tracking multilateral approaches to several global challenges.

Max Boot says that the United States should consider tougher actions against the Syrian government.

Canada's military is managing its role in Afghanistan against new security concerns in the Arctic, and is looking to increase its capacity in an age when other NATO countries are cutting back on spending, says Canadian Rear Admiral David Gardam.

Listen to U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Ivo Daalder discuss the Chicago NATO Summit with Foreign Affairs editor Gideon Rose and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs' Rachel Bronson.

On Tuesday, May 22, Ivo Daalder, the U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO, will offer his take on the Chicago summit. The immediate question is whether the alliance can withdraw its forces from Afghanistan while leaving behind a stable country that can stave off the Taliban. The long-term question surrounds the future of NATO as a guarantor of international peace and security.

Daalder, in the March/April issue of Foreign Affairs, writes that the organization's successful mission to help liberate Libya proves that the alliance can still be an essential source of stability, but adds "to preserve that role, NATO must solidify the political cohesion and shared capabilities that made the operation in Libya possible."

The Chicago summit attempted to map a new NATO agenda, but instability in Afghanistan and the European fiscal crisis still cloud the alliance's path, says CFR's Charles Kupchan.

Leslie H. Gelb says it's good riddance that President Obama's talk of shifting from Europe to Asia faded as the G8 and NATO meetings loomed.

This declaration was issued at the NATO summit in Chicago, Illinois on May 20, 2012.

President Obama and NATO Secretary General Rasmussen gave these remarks on May 20, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney published this op-ed regarding NATO in the Chicago Tribune on May 19, 2012.

NATO drew up this Strategic Concept in July 1990 at the NATO Heads of State and Government meeting.

As NATO's mission continues to redefine itself, four experts discuss what the alliance can do to remain relevant as a force for international peace and security.

The upcoming NATO summit will include talks on the endgame in Afghanistan, a new smart defense doctrine, and bolstering global partnerships, all of it colored by fundamental questions about the role and mission of the alliance, says CFR's Stewart Patrick.

NATO has been the foundation of transatlantic security for more than sixty years, but despite its longevity, critics question whether the alliance can stay relevant in the face of emerging threats, limited funding, and debates over its mission.

Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF, says the question of what constitutes missile-defense interim capability will loom large over the NATO Summit, but the issue for NATO remains whether they can muster the political, diplomatic, economic, and technical will to bring a ballistic-missile defense capability on line.