The new NATO chief, Mark Rutte, will need all the coalition-building skills he honed as Dutch prime minister to keep the Western alliance together amid the war in Ukraine, fears of Moscow's next move and political uncertainty in Washington.
Today, Rute took over the position of Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) from the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, which is the first time in the last ten years that there has been a change at the head of NATO.
Much now depends on Rutte's ability to build consensus within the 32-member alliance. NATO's ability to protect almost a billion people under its wing depends not only on military power, but also on political unity, assesses the Reuters agency.
Rute faces many challenges: the possible return of Donald Trump, who is skeptical of NATO, to the post of president of the United States - the alliance's most powerful member - as well as demands from Eastern European allies for additional reinforcements to protect against Russia, and requests from Ukraine, which not a member, for additional military aid.
In yesterday's comments, Rute downplayed concerns within the transatlantic alliance regarding the presidential elections in NATO's most powerful member, telling reporters at NATO headquarters: "I'm not worried." "I worked for four years with Donald Trump. He was the one who forced us to spend more (on defense), and he succeeded - because now we are at a much higher level of spending than we were when he took office," Rute said.
NATO officials and diplomats expect Rutte to maintain Stoltenberg's priorities - winning support for Kiev, encouraging NATO countries to spend more on defense and maintaining US engagement in European security.
Having headed the Dutch government for 14 years as the longest-serving prime minister in the history of the Netherlands, Rutte (57) has extensive experience on the world stage.
However, while personally approachable, he has at times openly criticized other governments, demanding that Hungary respect the rights of the LGBTQ community or leave the European Union, and questioning the rule of law in Romania and Bulgaria.
In his new job, Rute will have to use the skills he developed as a coalition builder and manager leading four Dutch governments. "The fact that he is so experienced in finding ways to make progress, in making compromises, persuading and connecting with people - I think that will be very, very useful for him," Kaysa Olongren, a former Dutch defense minister who served, told Reuters under Ruth.
Olongren and others describe Rute's leadership style as extremely dedicated and hands-on, which could come as a shock to a hierarchical organization like NATO. "They'll never think, 'Oh, well, I can leave this for tomorrow,'" Olongren said.
She added that Rutte can combine kindness with strong messages, such as when he contradicted Trump during a live press conference or when he held Russian President Vladimir Putin's hand for so long during a visit to Amsterdam that Putin was forced to see protesters with rainbow flags.
Eastern approach
Rute came of age as an international politician in 2014, after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by a Russian missile system over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew, including 196 Dutch nationals. He promised to bring those responsible for that crime to justice.
In her new job, Rute will be under pressure from Eastern European NATO members to show that she understands their need for greater protection from Russia and that she can provide them with what they are looking for.
"One of the tests for him will be: What are NATO's ambitions in relation to the eastern wing, and especially in connection with the strengthening of the eastern wing?" Peter Bator, who was Slovakia's ambassador to NATO until earlier this year, told Reuters.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO has doubled the number of troops deployed in the eastern member states to about 10.000, with additional forces from those countries. He also claims that hundreds of thousands of additional troops could be deployed quickly.
However, the eastern countries want more troops and weapons - especially anti-aircraft systems, which means that the western members need to be convinced to shift more of their resources to the east.
Since NATO makes decisions by consensus, the Secretary General's power depends on devising policies and persuading national leaders to support them.
Oana Lungescu, a former spokeswoman for NATO, told the British agency that the secretary general's job is "not only to find the lowest common denominator, but also to push the alliance forward."
"That's where the magic between the role of secretary and the role of general comes into play," added Lungescu, who now works at the RUSI defense institute.
More investment in defense
NATO officials and diplomats say Rutte may have to curb his typically Dutch obsession with fiscal austerity. At an EU summit in June, Rute clashed with other leaders when he and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly opposed joint borrowing to finance defense spending.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said other leaders had "loudly reminded" Rute that he would soon become head of NATO and that he should do everything to ensure that governments do not skimp on defence.
NATO estimates that 23 out of 32 members will meet the goal of allocating 2 percent of GDP to defense this year - while the Netherlands is only now reaching the goal set ten years ago.
Many NATO officials argue that further increases in defense spending - perhaps to 2,5 percent of GDP or more - will be needed for additional troops and weapons to carry out a sweeping review of the alliance's defense plans.
"It is a challenge for him - to convince the member states to invest more in their own defense and much faster, to acquire capacities much better than the existing ones", said Bator.
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