A new NATO

President Bush has pushed NATO to become more involved in assignments outside Europe's borders — to be an agent for freedom and stability.

Whether that will continue is open to question. Several NATO members are frustrated over the difficult conflict in Afghanistan and may seek to return the alliance to more traditional tasks.

Yet speaking in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Mr. Bush urged NATO members to embrace a more expanded mission. He cited duties in Afghanistan as well as Sudan's Darfur region as proof of "the changing nature of the NATO alliance."

"See, NATO is no longer a static alliance focused on defending Europe from a Soviet tank invasion," he argued. "It is now an expeditionary alliance that is sending its forces across the world to help secure a future of freedom and peace for millions."

Will it retain those commitments and expand even more? Some members are not so sure. As they meet in Bucharest this week, there are thoughts about reviewing NATO's overall mission, which has not been done since 1999, the Wall Street Journal points out.

Some members are concerned that the alliance has lost its focus since 9-11, that it is straying into distant assignments such as Afghanistan, Darfur and Iraq. Others are worried about the tendency toward a system in which the United States, Britain, Canada and some Eastern European countries are assuming most of the combat duties.

At present, there are 64,000 allied soldiers deployed on NATO missions — 47,000 in Afghanistan, 16,000 in Kosovo, a training force in Iraq, an airlift for African Union troops in Darfur and a small group on the Indian Ocean.

The Afghan conflict has driven NATO's changes, the Journal notes. It has also moved the alliance into civil reconstruction. The challenges in Afghanistan have underscored NATO's organizational weaknesses as well.

NATO may produce a mission statement for Afghanistan this week, outlining strategy for five years. As the alliance expands both membership and missions, it will need to re-evaluate its overall purpose.

But President Bush has left his mark on the Western alliance.