New NATO chief Mark Rutte takes over amid significant global challenges

BRUSSELS: New North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte assumed the top post on Tuesday (Oct 1) with an extensive list of crises in need of attention.
The 57-year-old – known by some as “Teflon Mark” for his ability to ride out crises unscathed – is an experienced hand on the world stage, having led the Netherlands for 14 years as its longest-serving prime minister. 
Observers told CNA that his political survival skills will now be put to the test, as he leads the military alliance’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine and tensions across the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
“He is reputed to be a consensus builder, which is obviously necessary in a system with so many competing parties,” said political analyst Ian Lesser, a distinguished fellow at American public policy think tank German Marshall Fund. 
“But I think beyond that, it’s his international profile that actually makes the difference. He’s very well known in NATO circles.”
He took over from Jens Stoltenberg, who served for 10 years as the NATO chief. 
Rutte’s long-standing relationships with alliance countries will help score him big political points in his new role, said observers. 
A key part of his job will be to foster relations on both sides of the Atlantic amid leadership changes, they added.
The outcome of the United States presidential election in November, between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, could have a significant bearing on Rutte’s NATO tenure.
German Marshall Fund’s Lesser said: “I’m sure a Trump administration, if we were to have one again, would be much more critical, more difficult to deal with, (and would) press harder on issues of having Europe spend more (and) do more on defence.”
Rutte could however have a way to deal with Trump. He was nicknamed the “Trump whisperer” after smoothing things over at a NATO summit in 2018 by talking the former US president around on defence spending. 
“If we look at the potential scenario of a Trump administration returning in 2025, then Rutte will certainly be important in terms of engaging with the Trump administration,” said Malcolm Davis, senior analyst at think tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute. 
But there are concerns that a second Trump administration would be more uncertain. 
“In the second Trump administration, it’s much more likely that Trump will be a loose cannon on the world stage. And so therefore, he could do real damage,” Davis told CNA938 on Tuesday.
“So (Rutte would have) to convince Trump that he has to be fully committed to NATO.”
A Harris presidency, on the other hand, would bring a greater degree of continuity, he believes. 
“I think that there’s not as much to worry about with a Harris administration in regards to NATO as there is with a Trump administration, where I think his real incentive is to try and withdraw as much as possible from NATO as quickly as possible.”
Rutte will lead the defence alliance at a critical time, with war at Europe’s doorstep.
He would have to bring NATO members together and boost defence spending to address a growing Russian threat. 
“(NATO’s) confronted by an aggressive expansionist Russia along this eastern frontier that’s already waging war against Ukraine, and threatens to take that war beyond Ukraine’s borders into NATO itself,” said Davis, adding that the grouping has to adopt a pre-war mindset and build up its defence capabilities. 
He believes Russia’s President Vladimir Putin would feel emboldened to threaten NATO, if the country emerges victorious in its war against Ukraine. 
“I think what (Rutte) has to do is be a unifying force, getting across the message very strongly that NATO is facing the test of its times here – the most important challenge that it’s faced since the end of the Cold War – and convincing those countries that are falling behind in defence spending to lift their game,” said Davis. 
“He can’t basically accept a status quo, steady-as-she-goes approach.”