The Politics of 2 Percent: NATO and the Security Vacuum in Europe

The members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) pledged in 2014 to increase their defence spending to 2% of their gross domestic products by 2024. It is unrealistic to assume that this goal will ever be reached by all 28 allies, and yet the 2% metric persists — and it has assumed a significance beyond its face value. It is about addressing Europe’s growing security vacuum and defining who will be in charge of European security.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Burden Sharing and NATO’s 2 Percent Goal http://www.europeansources.info/record/burden-sharing-and-natos-2-percent-goal/

Carnegie Europe: Brief, September 2015: The Politics of 2 Percent: NATO and the Security Vacuum in Europe http://carnegieendowment.org/files/Brief-Techau-NATO_2_percent.pdf

Carnegie Europe: Strategic Europe, 17.09.15: Scrap NATO’s 2 Percent Target and Go Bold! http://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/?fa=61309

Carnegie Europe: Project: NATO’s 2 Percent Pledge http://carnegieeurope.eu/specialprojects/NATOs2PercentPledge/

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