NATO’s wins and woes: The organisation faces challenges across political, financial, and security domains

As the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) marked its 75th anniversary this month, celebrations were accompanied by a sobering reality — the alliance’s raison d’être has seemingly circled back to its origins without significant alteration. Lord Ismay, NATO’s inaugural secretary-general, famously stated that the alliance was formed to “keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down”. Nearly three-quarters of a century later, with the exception of the German factor, the fundamental purpose outlined by Ismay remains largely unchanged. Established on April 4, 1949, in response to the “very real possibility of a Soviet invasion of Europe”, NATO finds itself once again confronting Russia as a potential threat that requires deterrence.