A NATO Strategy for the Eastern Flank

Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and intervention in eastern Ukraine mark an end to the European post–cold war security order—but only if the united states and Europe assent to it. The West has additional policy cards to play, and should do so with confidence. As the July 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw approaches, it is time for NATO to adopt a longer-term strategy for its eastern flank that goes beyond the reactive while maintaining transatlantic unity behind a common set of goals, actions, and capabilities for the coming decade that will reinforce the security of eastern allies and promote stability for NATO’s bordering countries.