NATO Defence Spending: The Irrationality of 2%

The European Leadership Network (ELN) works to advance the idea of a cooperative and cohesive Europe and to develop collaborative European capacity to address the pressing foreign, defence and security policy challenges of our time.

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It is a non-partisan, non-profit organisation based in London and registered in the United Kingdom.In this ELN Issue Brief Nicholas Williams and Simon Lunn argue that elevating the 2% to a test of defence fidelity and solidarity is ultimately counter-productive.

They present the history of NATO spending targets, critique their arbitrary nature and call instead for a renewed focus on the capabilities each member contributes to the Alliance rather than on budget numbers.

The authors argue that increased spending by NATO's European members provides an opportunity for Europe to develop a degree of strategic autonomy within NATO.

ESO: Background information: Sharing the burden of keeping Europe whole, free and at peace (NATO Review, May 2017) http://www.europeansources.info/record/sharing-the-burden-of-keeping-europe-whole-free-and-at-peace/

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