Canada’s embrace of the need for western collective defence against the Soviet Union under American leadership lead Ottawa to play an active role in the initial discussions leading to the establishment of NATO and to make a significant military contribution to allied forces in Europe in the 1950s. In the decades that followed, Ottawa was beset with a series of domestic and external challenges to its place and contributions to the Alliance. Through all the controversy, Canada remained anxious to retain its place in the allied military structure and its seat at the table in allied councils. Nevertheless, by the late 1980s, it seemed that all Canada had to offer its allies was a military and politically insignificant bare presence in Germany. The end the of the Cold War would, ironically, led to a renaissance of Canada’s place and significance in NATO with deployments and combat operations in Balkans followed by the post 9/11 contributions to the allied forces in Afghanistan. After the Russian take-over of Crimea and in response to U.S. President Trump’s criticism of NATO, Canada leaned forward, not by increasing defence expenditures, but deploying forces to Latvia and contributing to training missions in Ukraine, in other words by supporting the Alliance in the very activities which have now brought a threatening Russian response. While noteworthy, these efforts have not been onerous until now as Canada’s “easy riding” approach to NATO is being tested again.

Italy and NATO in the 21st century: still a formidable partnership? 

More than three decades since the crumbling of the Soviet bloc, NATO continues to be perceived by most of Italy’s political forces as an indispensable political and security bastion against the threats of regional instability and conflict. Although in recent years, economic stagnation and popular discontent have called into question outright support for European integration, Italy’s commitment to NATO has remained rock solid. Rather, an increasingly volatile international scenario and the slow development of the European Union’s CSDP have further strengthened the Alliance’s importance for Italian security. In the current strategic scenario, Rome’s concerns are focused on an arc of crisis stretching from the Mediterranean toward the Near East and the Gulf region and which might weld with instability in the Balkans, Ukraine, and the Caucasus. Persisting economic problems, the uncertain trajectory of the CSDP, and the growing assertiveness of revisionist powers, particularly Russia and Turkey, make far too evident for Italy the centrality of the Alliance and of its bilateral bond with the US. Nonetheless, while NATO remains the only multilateral security provider capable of effectively keeping in check the ambitions of other powers and preserving stability in the broader Mediterranean region, in the 21st century NATO’s ongoing relevance for Italy will depend on its ability of balancing its Eastern and Southern dimensions and of securing Rome a seat at the table when decisions affecting European security are taken. 

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