The historical success of the Alliance lies in having unified the West in the face of the Soviet threat, and in having successfully enlarged theWest since the end of the Cold War. Today, however, the Alliance needs to adapt itself to a new world characterized by the growing threat of violent political chaos stemming from humanity’s recent political awakening. Its credibility depends on negotiating a political exit from Afghanistan. In the longer term, NATO must view itself as being at the center of a network of organizations of world security.