ABSTRACT

Recent comments about the state of the transatlantic relationship have started to adopt the kind of apocalyptic lexis that is usually heard in emergency rooms. Public spats over the war in Iraq have indeed been spectacular. Far from marking the beginning of NATO's "death", as portrayed by some conservative commentators, this reorganization of responsibilities and "burden-sharing" of the old continent's security means that the Atlantic Alliance is shifting its weight away from its traditional responsibilities (fight and win wars) and into others. The old continent's relative approach to military power stems from its scarce resources, limited security responsibilities, and its governments' historical trust in its diplomats and strategic thinkers' intellectual constructions. All of the new trends concur to validate a profound strategic shift: the global security environment has now entered an "Age of Intelligence" dominated by networks, and where the capacity to identify an enemy/competitor, process and disseminate strategic or tactical intelligence about it leadership.