Burden-Sharing in NATO: The Role of Security Threats

Burden-sharing disagreements within NATO seem never-ending. Indeed, the debate over how to fairly share the burdens of equitably defending transatlantic security interests is almost as old as the alliance itself. In recent years, it has become commonplace for American political leaders – including the President and the Secretary of Defense – to publicly berate European allies in an effort to garner more contributions to the common defense. This norms-based approach has generally not worked – for much of the post-Cold War era, European allies have failed to meet agreed upon levels of defense spending or related capability targets. However, that trend may finally be reversing itself. Russia’s seizure of Crimea and its invasion of eastern Ukraine have prompted many European NATO members to announce increased defense spending. While neorealists may rejoice at such validation – as the threat of Russia finally has gotten European allies to do what American browbeating could not – it remains to be seen whether the result will be more equal burden-sharing. This Paper will examine these issues in greater details, and in doing so, will suggest what a more equitable sharing of burdens might look like.