ABSTRACT
Asking whether NATO can cope with Fourth Generation Warfare (4GW) – the central question addressed in the companion chapter by Colonel Dr. Frans Osinga – and whether it is transforming successfully to that end, raises fundamental questions about the nature, purpose and utility of the Atlantic Alliance in the emerging global security environment. In this rapidly evolving environment, where adversity and complexity reign supreme, it is still unclear today whether NATO will continue to prosper, propelled to assume its destiny as the world’s premier “hard power” security organization (but, increasingly, with “a soft touch”) or, ultimately, wither away, abandoned through a lack of vision, resolve and capability on the part of its members.
