140th BERGEDORF ROUND TABLE

The Future of NATO

Berlin (June 13-15, 2008)

In the year before the 60th anniversary of NATO there is no agreement among its member states about the function and the future role of the alliance. The biggest NATO summit so far which took place in April in Bucharest could not bring clarity to this matter.

Is NATO still the primary place for political coordination within the transatlantic community or is it more a toolbox for providing military resources? Do the financial and military obligations have to be redistributed among the members and what impact would this have on the influence of individual states?

What new members should NATO accept, how does it define its relationship with the EU (ESDP) and how can the relations with Russia be designed in a constructive manner?


Wolfgang Schäuble		Wolfgang Ischinger, Klaus Wehmeier

Furthermore, there is the question of a new NATO strategy, how is NATO to react to the changed global security situation? How far should the transformation go from a defensive alliance to one of intervention with a global responsibility and what tasks should NATO perform in the future? And finally, what lessons can be drawn from the previous involvement in Afghanistan for future missions and for the future orientation of the alliance?


Dirk Brengelmann, Rolf Nikel		John Manley, Volker Rühe

Moderated by Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Conference on Security Policy, politicians and experts from Europe and North America discussed the challenges and priorities of the alliance and give political options for the future of NATO.

The German Federal Minister of the Interior Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble held a dinner speech on 14 June about the connection between security at home and abroad and the challenges for security policy in a globalized world.


Alain Richard		Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg

The results of the confidential deliberations as well as Minister Schäuble’s speech had been edited and documented in the 140th Bergedorf Protocol, which is published by the
edition Körber-Stiftung.

The Bergedorf Round Table is chaired by the former German President Dr. Richard von Weizsäcker.


Paweł Zalewski		Ulrich Brandenburg, Gottfried Zeitz

Recently there have been several events focusing on security policy issues at the Körber Foundation: the 138th Bergedorf Round Table addressing the question (Warsaw, 2007), a Political Breakfast with Michel Miraillet, Director of the Department for Strategic Affairs in the French Ministry of Defence, a Political Breakfast with Volodymyr Khandogiy, First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, a Political Background Discussion with Lieutenant General Henry A. Trey Obering III, Director of the Missile Defence Agency of the United States Air Force, as well as a background discussion with Ambassador Martin Erdmann, Deputy Secretary General of NATO for Political Affairs and Security Policy.