What do the changes to the energy landscape following the Ukraine crisis mean for NATO? How does the organization need to change to better face energy challenges? We ask some top commentators and politicians what kind of changes they feel should be made.

00.11 – Voice-over – Paul King – Editor, NATO Review

In a globalized world no man is an island. Some 50 per cent of the EU’s gas imports from Russia still pass through Ukraine and these imports have already been interrupted twice before, in 2006 and 2009. Following the Ukraine crisis, there are fears that Europe’s energy security may be vulnerable once again.

00.32- Liam Fox – Former UK Secretary of Defence

In globalization, our interdependence means that we cannot be isolated from instability in any one part of the world. Ukraine is a very obvious example of that now, but we had that with 9/11, we had it with things like the SARS outbreak. We’re a much more interdependent world.

00.51 – Voice-over – Paul King – Editor, NATO Review

But energy movements are decided largely by private companies in commercial deals, at least in the West. So what role can an international organisation like NATO play?

01.01 – Amb. Kurt Volker – Former US ambassador to NATO

Energy security is not something that NATO would sell or control. It is again, national decisions, economic decisions, infrastructure decisions, European Union level decisions… But it can be a forum for consultation, for places where countries such as the Baltic States can raise concerns with other allies, and that we can talk about the implications of the dependencies that exist and the need for addressing them and also how we can share pain.

01.28 – Marc Jacobson – Adjunct Professor, The George Washington University, US

I think there is also a real case to be made that NATO needs to recast the role it originally envisaged in 1949. By this I mean inclusion of other ministries during North Atlantic Council sessions, for example Ministers of Finance. And this is representative of the more holistic challenges the world faces today.

01.49 – Voice-over – Paul King – Editor, NATO Review

This adaptation will require a new skill set. But this is not the first time NATO has had to adapt to changing security challenges.

01.58 – Linas Linkevičius – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lithuania

If we have no experts, we should have some experts. It’s no excuse. I remember when I spent my time in NATO, it was very interesting. We found out that nobody speaks Arabic within NATO. Now that’s no longer the case, but now suddenly, why? Because never before it was needed, but now it is needed.

02.17 – Voice-over – Paul King – Editor, NATO Review

And finally, there can be little doubt that energy can have a major impact on rebalancing relations with Russia.

02.24 - Marc Jacobson – Adjunct Professor, The George Washington University, US

Energy security and economic stability limit Russian freedom of action more so than any sort of direct military to military balance.

NATO Review

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The opinions expressed in NATO Review do not necessarily reflect those of NATO or its member countries.

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