On remaining calm – Jens Stoltenberg, former NATO secretary general, interviewed by Sebastian Fischer and Matthias Gebauer in Der Spiegel:

‘DER SPIEGEL: Are we currently living in the most dangerous times since World War II? Stoltenberg: We are living in a more unpredictable and unstable world. During the Cold War, we had a confrontation with the Soviet Union; we had troops ready at the borders and nuclear weapons deployed on both sides of the Iron Curtain. But there was some level of predictability, because neither side wanted to risk a hot war. Now, we have so many challenges at the same time. We are experiencing a full-scale war in Europe and facing increased global rivalry, for example with China – a country which is scaling up its military forces at an unprecedented speed. We are living with the constant threat of cyber terrorist attacks. This is an uncertain world.

DER SPIEGEL: You haven’t mentioned the war in the Middle East, where Israel is fighting against the terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
Stoltenberg: NATO has never been directly involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not concerned about the escalation there. NATO is the answer to many problems around the world, but not to all problems.’

(…)

‘DER SPIEGEL: You took office in October 2014, not long after the Russian annexation of Crimea that spring. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in particular, wanted you to build bridges with Russia. When did you realize that Merkel's strategy was misguided?

Stoltenberg: I still believe this strategy was the right approach. It was the right thing to try to build a better relationship with Russia after the end of the Cold War. And even after the Russian annexation of Crimea and the start of the war in the Donbas region, the meetings of the NATO-Russia Council continued. And we met as late as January 2022. Not because we had any illusions about Russia, but because we had to manage what has become a very difficult relationship with our neighbor. Today, we at least need to prevent any miscalculation or misunderstanding in Moscow.’

(…)

‘DER SPIEGEL: During your time at NATO, you were one of the rare leaders who got along quite well with U.S. President Donald Trump. Can you reveal your secret? Stoltenberg: I always tried to focus on my job as secretary general. That job is to take seriously the concerns of all allies. President Trump was the elected leader of NATO’s largest member state. Like other presidents before him, he raised his concerns that burden-sharing in the alliance was not fairly distributed. The tone might have been surprisingly harsh at times, but the point was legitimate. My job was to remain calm. The good news is that this process has really changed us. All allies have stepped up their investments and their commitment, which is good for all of us’

Read the article here.

NATO is the answer to many problem – not all problems. In other words, let some countries fight their own wars, even bloody wars. As long as it’s not disturbing us, it’s okay.

And vis-à-vis Trump, remaining calm is the only sustainable strategy apparently.

The job of the NATO chef: remaining calm. Do not go down singing, go down calm.