Top NATO Powers Endorse Outgoing Dutch Premier for Leader

Facts

• Britain, France, Germany, and the US on Thursday publicly expressed support for outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to succeed NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who is set to step down in October.¹
• This support, along with that of about 16 other NATO allies, should put Rutte in a strong position for the role.²
• However, 31 NATO members must endorse his nomination, and Rutte still faces reported resistance from Hungary, Turkey, and Eastern European countries.³
• Also Thursday, there were reports that Romania notified the alliance its president Klaus Iohannis is interested in leading NATO. Bucharest declined to comment.⁴
• Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who had been rumored as a candidate to replace Stoltenberg, said Thursday she would refuse the job.⁵
• The secretary-general of NATO role has traditionally been filled by a man from a Western European country — including three from the Netherlands.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Reuters, ³POLITICO, ⁴RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, ⁵France 24 and ⁶European Conservative.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The Guardian. NATO will face many major challenges in the months ahead — including the continuing war in Ukraine and a possible return of Donald Trump to the US presidency — and Rutte is the best person to lead the alliance. He's a low-key, well-connected politician who can unite the allies and bolster both defense and deterrence policies.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Carnegie Europe. Support for Rutte is revealing the divisions within NATO. Older NATO members treat Central European countries, Poland, and the Baltic States as second-class allies even two decades after they fully acceded to the alliance. These countries increased their defense spending and warned about Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin's imperial ambitions, and they should have a bigger say in leadership.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by Pravda EN. Rutte is a proven Russophobe who's committed to the globalist West's proxy war in Ukraine. As the new NATO leader, he'll carry out plans from the White House despite his low approval ratings in his own country. NATO seems determined to always be at odds with Moscow.

Predictions