Mark Rutte takes office as head of NATO

It’s a day of change at the top of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte takes over, Tuesday 1^is October around 10 a.m., to the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, who remained at the head of the alliance for ten years.

This transfer of power will take place at NATO headquarters in Brussels, as part of a meeting of the Atlantic Council, the political body of NATO which brings together the ambassadors of member countries. Jens Stoltenberg, 65, will open the meeting and Mark Rutte, 57, will conclude it.

“There will perhaps be nuances, changes in emphasis on this or that thing, but there will also be a lot of continuity”assures a NATO diplomat, referring to this transition.

The two men know each other well. As Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte has represented his country at NATO summits for the past fourteen years. And he also hung out with the former Norwegian prime minister before the latter took up his position at NATO.

“He has the qualities, the experience to really do his job in an excellent way”Mr. Stoltenberg said of him, during his last public conference in Brussels on September 19. They will not be too much for the challenges that await the future Secretary General of NATO.

The American election haunts the corridors of the alliance

The war is still raging in Ukraine, at the gates of the Atlantic Alliance, two and a half years after the invasion of this country by the Russian army. Mark Rutte will therefore have to ensure during his very first major meeting – a meeting of NATO defense ministers on October 17 and 18 – to maintain at the highest level the essential Western military support for Ukraine in war, as pressure mounts to end this war and open negotiations.

The United States, the leading military power by far within NATO, plays an essential role here. However, America is in the middle of an electoral campaign, and on both sides of the Atlantic we are anxiously awaiting to know whether Democratic candidate Kamala Harris or former Republican President Donald Trump will enter the White House. A possible victory for the American billionaire on November 5 haunts the corridors of NATO headquarters in Brussels, where the threats of an American withdrawal launched by the former president of the United States still resonate.

The Dutchman met Donald Trump on several occasions, to whom he was able to stand up, during a meeting in 2018 in Washington. He was also able to gain its trust by recognizing that he was right to emphasize the need for better sharing of the burden within NATO between Americans and Europeans.

Mark Rutte, who has always defended budgetary frugality, is eagerly awaited on this subject, including in the event of Mr.^me Harris. American demands for rebalancing within the Alliance do not date from the Trump presidency.

A big family

He will also have to ensure that NATO is in good shape in the face of the Russian threat, in accordance with its defense plans adopted in 2023. These revealed that the Allies lacked, for example, anti-aircraft defense or air defense capabilities. artillery production after years of cuts in military budgets.

Only twenty-three of the thirty-two countries in the Alliance have achieved the objective set ten years ago of devoting at least 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) to military spending. And several of them assure that against the Kremlin much more is now needed.

On these subjects, the Allies are very divided and the essential task for Mark Rutte can be summed up in a single sentence, according to Jens Stoltenberg: “Keep the thirty-two allies together. It’s a big family, but sometimes it’s a real challenge to keep them all happy together.”.