NATO divisions cast into stark relief

NATO member countries are expected to inaugurate a new leader at the organization's July 11-12 summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, to succeed its current Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, whose term has already been extended twice since it expired last year.

But a third extension seems unavoidable as the 31 members of the military alliance are apparently unable to agree on who should succeed him. Despite his repeated claim that he would not pursue another extension, the incumbent NATO chief has also left the option open.

A former prime minister of Norway, Stoltenberg has been instrumental in maneuvering a unified, forceful NATO approach to the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. His continued presence at the NATO helm would therefore be conducive to both policy continuity and the transatlantic alliance's image of unity, as he has been a faithful repeater of Washington's line.