The Men-Only Club

When, on April 4, 1949, the 12 foreign ministers of NATO’s founding membership gathered in Washington, D.C., to sign the North Atlantic Treaty, President Harry Truman gave the defining speech of the hour: ​“We do not believe that there are blind tides of history which sweep men one way or another,” he said. ​“In our own time we have seen brave men overcome obstacles that seemed insurmountable and forces that seemed overwhelming. Men with courage and vision can still determine their own destiny”.

This week, during the 65^th anniversary of NATO, Truman’s words still resonate — but not just because of the alliance’s recent resurgence in this next chapter of Eastern European realpolitik. Rather it’s Truman’s choice of protagonist that reflects today’s reality every bit as much as it did in 1949: men overcoming obstacles, men with courage and vision.

For all of NATO’s rhetoric about engaging in a ​“continuous process of reform, modernisation and transformation,” the composition of its top leadership looks downright anachronistic. With the March 28 designation of Jens Stoltenberg as the next secretary general, it seems certain that at least 70 years will pass without a single woman serving at the very top of the organization.

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