The 58^ General Assembly of the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA) was held in Rome, at the NATO Defense College, on February 4-6, 2013. High Government representatives and NATO political and military authorities, together with the Delegates from the 37 NATO and Partner countries members of the ATA took part in this international event hosted by the Italian Atlantic Committee.
The Italian Atlantic Committee was honored to have been in charge of the organization of the annual General Assembly, as this Atlantic initiative constitutes the most significant moment for the international action of the ATA and its network of national Atlantic chapters.
The General Assembly offered the ATA leadership and members an opportunity to look ahead, taking stock of the achievements and lessons learned. In this wake, new strategies and programs in the field of education and training, research, and public information were discussed and launched to effectively address the most pressing security issues of the Atlantic community.
To this end, the Italian Atlantic Committee, in coordination with the ATA, complemented the schedule of the 58^ General Assembly with the successful experience of its traditional Atlantic Forum, able to gather annually eminent international political, military, diplomatic, academic representatives, in order to discuss and devise proposals on the future of the Atlantic Alliance and international security.
In this framework, the 58^ ATA General Assembly focused on NATO and the Future of Cooperative Security, with a particular reference to the challenges coming from the Mediterranean and Middle East region.
The proceedings were carried out in three different Sessions and Forums discussing the NATO 2020 challenges; The Future of Cooperative Security in the Mediterranean and in the Middle East; the capabilities needed for a Modern Defense and Economic Development.
During the First Forum the debate deepened core issues for NATO, such as capabilities and level of ambition, Afghanistan, the Transatlantic link, the new Partnership policy, the enlargement and relations with Russia.
The Second Forum on The Future of Cooperative Security in the Mediterranean and the Middle East addressed the current volatile situation in the area, looking to the tragedy of the civil war in Syria and the risk of a spillover effect to neighboring countries; the strengthening of jihadist movements throughout the broader the region; the challenges brought about by the rise of political Islam as a consequence of the Arab uprisings; the threats of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles; the increasingly poor economic situation and the youth malaise. The Second Forum delved into all these issues of major concern for the Alliance, assessing the current status of the NATO dialogue and cooperation programs in the Mediterranean and the Middle East – the Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative – and their perspectives vis-à-vis the unfolding developments at regional level.
The Third Forum focused on the relationship between a Modern Defense and Economic Development. In times of economic crisis and shortage of financial resources, the defense sector is the most affected by budgetary constraints, entailing negative consequences on national security, as already pointed out by the outgoing US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. This session was aimed at highlighting the crucial role of the defense sector in promoting economic growth and those capabilities required for a modern and effective defense interlocked with a vibrant economic development. Smart Defense and Pooling and Sharing are the approaches set up by NATO and the EU that, however, still need to prove to be effective and mutually reinforcing.
The three Forums were preceded by a Youth Atlantic Forum (YAF) devoted to 150 University students, young researchers and professional selected among the NATO and partner countries, with a particular attention to the Mediterranean and Middle East region.
The YAF was being actively pursued by the Italian Atlantic Committee in coordination with the ATA and its youth dimension, the YATA, in the framework of its initiatives aimed at promoting the debate on foreign affairs and security issues among the successor generation.
The YAF consisted of two main sessions. The topic of the First Forum was related to the Mediterranean and Middle East region and hosted several exponents of the local youth movements advocating actual changes and reforms, and sharing their view about The New Generation and the Future of the Broader Middle East. The Second Forum gathered as speakers representatives from NATO partners countries in the Middle East and South Caucasus as well as from Afghanistan. They addressed the audience about the dialogue and cooperation programs between NATO and their countries, animating the discussion over The Future of NATO partnerships.
Against this backdrop, the proceedings of the 58^ ATA General Assembly fulfilled the expectations and consistute an important success for the Italian Atlantic Committee and its commitment to the promotion of foreign affairs and security issues related to the Atlantic Alliance.