Flash Points: What to know ahead of NATO’s summit

Where is the alliance headed? JULY 9, 2023  |  [VIEW IN BROWSER](     Sponsored by [Georgetown University School of Foreign Service]( Mark Harris illustration for Foreign Policy On Tuesday, NATO leaders will convene for their annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Ahead of the meeting, all eyes are on the newly revived alliance and the challenges it faces in the second year of Russia’s war in Ukraine. As FP’s Stefan Theil [writes](, NATO has gone “back to its roots as a bulwark of the trans-Atlantic West against an expansionist Kremlin.” Will Turkey continue to block Sweden’s accession? Will NATO clear a membership path for Ukraine? And how is the alliance thinking about more distant challenges, including threats from China? We explore these questions and more in the essays below—which serve as a guide of sorts to thinking about what NATO is today and where it might be headed.—Chloe Hadavas   [1]( [NATO’s Next Decade]( Nine thinkers assess the alliance’s future ahead of a historic summit. By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Dmytro Kuleba, Kristi Raik, Angela Stent, Liana Fix, Ulrich Speck, A. Wess Mitchell, Ben Hodges, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Stefan Theil   [2]( [Can NATO Finally Make the 2 Percent Stick?]( The Vilnius summit will test whether Europe’s wealthiest countries can get serious about defense. By Bradley Bowman, Jack Sullivan   [3]( [U.S. Elites Agree on NATO Enlargement]( A new poll reveals strong support for Sweden’s accession to the security alliance. By Irene Entringer García Blanes, Shauna N. Gillooly, Ella Kuhnhenn, Susan Peterson, Michael J. Tierney   A closer look at the bigger picture. [Subscribe to FP](.   [4]( [Don’t Promise Ukraine NATO Membership Now]( Bringing Kyiv into the alliance soon could harden Russia’s resolve, frustrate potential peace efforts, and play into the Kremlin’s propaganda. By John R. Deni   [5]( [Will Erdogan Finally Ratify Sweden’s NATO Accession? No One Knows.]( It is now a waiting game—and that’s how it should be. By Sinan Ciddi   SPONSORED [How Will You Change The World?]( Founded in 1919. as the oldest school of international affairs in the United States, SFS prepares future leaders to engage on the global stage. We see service not as a particular career path, but as a way to solve problems, which is just as relevant in the private sector as the public sector. [Learn more.](   foreignpolicy.com/subscribe Geopolitics matters [Get a closer look at the big picture. Access FP's daily reporting and analysis of global politics, plus magazine packages that go deeper than the headlines.](foreignpolicy.com/subscribe) [SUBSCRIBE TODAY](foreignpolicy.com/subscribe)   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( You’re receiving this email at {EMAIL} because you signed up for FP's Flash Points newsletter. [MANAGE YOUR EMAIL PREFERENCES]( | [VIEW OUR PRIVACY POLICY]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Reach the [right online audience]( with us. Foreign Policy is a division of Graham Holdings Company. All contents © 2023 Graham Digital Holding Company LLC. All rights reserved. Foreign Policy, 655 15th St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC, 20005.