NATO: LOST OR FOUND

About the Book

This book is a compilation of NATO related speeches, interventions, letters, interviews, articles, and some last-minute thoughts that the author released upon the world from 1991 to 2021. The texts are presented as they were delivered, in "rough" English, used by non-native English speakers, to preserve their authenticity, as are the colorful prefaces to each one of them. The compilation is far from complete as many speeches resembled each other ad nauseam, some were unfortunately or fortunately lost or misplaced, some deemed inappropriate, while some other pieces are hoping to see the light of the day in the long-planned books Putting Slovenia on the Map and Slovenia's Contribution to the Formulation of EU's Foreign and Security Policy. The main reason for publishing this book is to document a glimpse into the thinking and work of a person who oversaw the whole project of Slovenia’s, his country's, journey from zero status to becoming its representative sitting at one of the top world tables on an equal footing with the rest of the Alliance members. Unfortunately, too often -- if not always -- the winners write history. It is hard to predict who the winners of the quiet but still ongoing battle on how to ensure Slovenia's and Europe’s security will be. This is not just the battle between “peaceniks” and realists at home but also between the promoters of the growing role of the European Union in the defense area and those who believe that only NATO can provide Europe's hard security. Senior Ambassador Šinkovec, a former California hippie, staunchly belongs in the latter bunch. In foreword, the author attempts to present a realistic view of NATO as it is today, as well as the murky future it seems to be embarking upon. Are we on the verge of losing or reclaiming the Alliance that has kept peace in Europe since 1949?

About the Author

Ambassador Matjaž Šinkovec, who after his crucial involvement in the independence of his country, served all the Slovenian governments from 1992 to 2021 in senior diplomatic postings abroad and at home, devoted a lot of his knowledge, vision, energy, experience, and passion to Slovenia's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In 1990 he first proposed that his country -- not yet independent at the time -- should join NATO and in 2004 he became Slovenia's first Permanent Representative on the North Atlantic Council.