On October 16th, 2025, the Institute of European Studies at UC Berkeley hosted a lecture titled “NATO’s Role in International Affairs”. Speakers were Professor Jan Wouters, Professor of International Law and International Organizations, and Ambassador Dirk Wouters, former Belgian Ambassador to the United States. The event had 34 participants and focused on the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and examined the alliance’s historical, legal, and political evolution from 1949 to the present. The conference started with Professor Jan Wouters' explanation on how the post-World War II environment gave rise to NATO. The Washington Treaty of 1949, signed by twelve founding members, established the alliance’s principle of collective defense under Article 5, committing members to protect one another in the event of an armed attack. The topic of the quick U.S demobilization after World War 2, while the Soviet Union’s failure to demobilize created insecurity that motivated the formation of a collective security framework and raised the formation of NATO.
Wouters also talked about the economic devastation of Europe and connected this to the Truman Doctrine which further solidified this transatlantic commitment by pledging U.S. support for nations resisting communist expansion, signaling a decisive shift from America’s earlier refusal to join the League of Nations after World War I. Speakers then discussed NATO’s institutional development, emphasizing the Paris Protocol, which established its legal personality and organized civilian bodies to coordinate political and military decision-making. They mentioned the NATO’s unique dual structure where they combined civilian oversight with military command and enabled NATO to quickly solve the crisis. Wouter mentioned that the European Union cannot perform what NATO achieved because NATO has collective defense operations and integrated command systems ,which makes it unique. Also they talked about the Korean War, which was a milestone that transformed NATO from a symbolic alliance into a permanent defense institution. Ambassador Dirk Wouters opened a new debate topic on NATO’s modern challenges, noting that Article 5 has only been invoked once, following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. They discussed NATO’s ongoing cooperation with the European Union in areas like cybersecurity, hybrid warfare, and energy security, while also addressing tensions between NATO’s collective goals and Europe’s pursuit of strategic autonomy. Also he talked about ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and its impacts on NATO. Moreover, throughout the event their article “The Final Frontier? The European Union and the Governance of Outer Space” was available to the attendees which was connected with the Ambassador’s notes on NATO’s defense agenda. The event ended with a Q&A session where speakers answered questions on NATO’s future and hypothetical scenarios, and what will happen diplomatically in the future. Overall, this event provided a comprehensive reflection on NATO’s enduring significance.