Sam Brownback: “I have enjoyed watching this debate with my colleagues on the topic of expanding the North Atlantic Alliance. This new…”

“I have enjoyed watching this debate with my colleagues on the topic of expanding the North Atlantic Alliance. This new round of expansion is one of the most significant events in the alliance's history and will have a profound impact on Trans-Atlantic relations for a long time. The message I bring and I think my colleagues bring is that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, is still vital to our security and expansion will make it all the more stronger. Seven countries, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, have made bids to join NATO. This debate has evolved in such a way as to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the alliance in a sober way. The hyperbolic debate over burden-sharing and the contributions of some our allies, whether material or physical, has gone by the way-side with this new round of expansion. The contributions of alliance members is no less important-- in fact, it is a central tenet to the success of the alliance.”