European Knight
10-02-2014, 12:33 AM
BRUSSELS — Former Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg of Norway will lead NATO starting on Oct. 1, the alliance announced Friday.
The appointment of Mr. Stoltenberg, 55, comes as the United States reaffirms its commitment to the Western military alliance as a way of containing an increasingly assertive Russia led by President Vladimir V. Putin.
Mr. Putin’s decision to order troops to seize Crimea and his rejection of criticism from Europe and the United States seem likely to reinvigorate NATO and give the alliance a central role as a counterweight to Moscow.
Mr. Stoltenberg, whose appointment by NATO member countries was widely expected, will succeed Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a Dane who will have served more than five years in the post when he steps down.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/29/world/europe/nato-picks-former-norwegian-premier-as-its-next-leader.html
The appointment of Mr. Stoltenberg, 55, comes as the United States reaffirms its commitment to the Western military alliance as a way of containing an increasingly assertive Russia led by President Vladimir V. Putin.
Mr. Putin’s decision to order troops to seize Crimea and his rejection of criticism from Europe and the United States seem likely to reinvigorate NATO and give the alliance a central role as a counterweight to Moscow.
Mr. Stoltenberg, whose appointment by NATO member countries was widely expected, will succeed Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a Dane who will have served more than five years in the post when he steps down.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/29/world/europe/nato-picks-former-norwegian-premier-as-its-next-leader.html