Southern Challenges and the Regionalization of the Transatlantic Security Partnership

Transatlantic powers remain highly reluctant to directly intervene in the security crises in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Facing a multiplicity of crises and issues, transatlantic powers have often failed to adopt a proactive approach, and the case-by-case reactions have shown various degrees of success. Reliance on regional partners has not delivered desirable outcomes so far, and the transatlantic security partnership needs to redefine its strategy of outsourcing, while the discussions at the Warsaw NATO Summit should also serve as a basis for reflection. Is the transatlantic security partnership still able to provide credible tools for crisis management in the European Southern neighborhood? Do transatlantic institutions such as the EU and NATO continue to offer a normative model for regional stability? As U.S. and European strategic priorities may not always converge, it is crucial to look realistically at the way the Alliance can act efficiently in the region.

The arguments are partly based on a workshop of the Transatlantic Security and the Future of NATO project organized by The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) in Berlin in September 2016.

This publication includes three complementary pieces addressing different challenges for the transatlantic security partnership in the MENA region:

• "NATO’s Middle East Partnership Policy after the Warsaw Summit: Time for a Realistic Agenda?" by Jean-Loup Samaan
• "NATO and its Middle East and Mediterranean Partners: Taking NATO’s Role in its Southern Flank to a New Strategic Level", by Tommy Steiner
•  "Transatlantic Security Assistance in Fractured States: The Troubling Case of Libya", by Frederic Wehrey