LISBON – Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates opened up the Youth Summit here with remarks on NATO’s new Strategic Concept, which he modestly branded the “Lisbon Concept.” Sócrates said the two lasting legacies of the summit would be an affirmation of NATO’s partnership with Russia and the start of a “new transition phase” in Afghanistan that would see ISAF forces reorient their mandate to focus primarily on the training of Afghan security forces, both police and military
The summit, he said, “will leave behind once and for all the legacy of the Cold War,” as the alliance seeks to integrate Russia into the European security architecture.
Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates
He failed to acknowledge, however, the mutual suspicion that still plagues Russia’s relationship with the Atlantic allies over the organization’s expansion and the threat posed by Iran. He also did not address the lack of public support for what will likely be an extension of American-led NATO operations in Afghanistan through 2014, as well as the challenges in winning public support for ongoing operations.
But the most glaring omission from the prime minister was a failure to acknowledge the financial crisis currently playing out in Portugal, and the shadow that the global financial crisis on both sides of the Atlantic will cast on the summit. Indeed, as many European countries carry out strict austerity measures in an effort to weather the crisis, how leaders respond to calls in the new Strategic Concept to increase military budgets will be the 800 pound elephant in the conference center for the next few days.