Why Rumsfeld can’t promise NATO membership

On the threshold of the Riga NATO Summit, Albania, together with Croatia and Macedonia hope to receive signals of support for their aspirations to NATO membership. In fact there was no lack of such signals at the annual meeting of the Defence Ministers of SE Europe. US Defence Secretary Ramsfeld, in Tirana to participate in this ministerial meeting, reiterated support for the process of NATO’s further enlargement with new members. The participation of the US in the Adriatic Charter alone, which is made up of three countries, Albania, Macedonia and Croatia, reflects the will of the American government, as one of the more powerful Alliance members, to continue its enlargement with new members. However, irrespective of the express will of the US Administration and of the other governments of the NATO member countries, none of the members, not even the USA, and most certainly none of the NATO institutions can promise a fixed date for the admittance of new members. And this has a fundamental reason attached: NATO membership is not some kind of gift or bonus that the US or NATO could give Albania. The persistence the local media showed to try and extract a date of membership for Albania into NATO, was countered by Defence Secretary Ramsfeld with the reply that no one can provide an accurate answer to that question. Ramsfeld reminded the countries aspiring to membership that their future in NATO depends on the progress these countries are making with respect to the reforms that are appropriate for NATO members. This reminder by the US Defence Secretary is useful for these three countries aspiring to join, but in particular for Albania. All Albanian governments have proclaimed NATO membership as a priority and the current government claims it is ready to pay any price to receive an invitation of admittance. But the price that has to be paid is nothing more and nothing less than the internal reforms related to the political system, the market economy, naturally including the reforms of the Armed Forces. For a long time, and even to this day, Albania’s membership in NATO has only been comprehended as a set of reforms in the Armed Forces or Security Forces. This is half of the truth. From 1992 to 1996 Albania carried out dozens of reforms in the Armed Forces that were acknowledged by the NATO member countries. However, during the 1997 crisis, the Albanian Armed Forces almost totally disintegrated and could not even defend their own garrisons and weaponry. This is an example showing that reforms in the Armed Forces must go hand in glove with other reforms in the field of democracy and the market economy. Reforms in the Armed Forces are only half the job done. Military cooperation with the US and other countries and the contributions Albania makes to the Peace Keeping Forces in other regions of the world, are a sound investment in NATO membership. However, this military cooperation and Albania’s lining up in an international coalition led by the US, whilst it is very useful it is still insufficient to claim NATO membership.