Bangladesh, Jan. 28 -- The coming year will test the resilience, adaptability, and political cohesion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization more severely than at any point since the end of the Cold War. As geopolitical competition intensifies, internal disagreements persist, and global economic uncertainty deepens, NATO faces a defining moment. The alliances major summit scheduled for July 2026 in Ankara, Türkiye, is rapidly approaching, and the groundwork laid in the months ahead will determine whether NATO emerges stronger and more unified-or more fragmented and strained by competing priorities.

Recent events have already exposed fault lines within the transatlantic relationship. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, debates o...