To face threats to world peace

The invitation extended to His Majesty King Abdullah to attend the NATO summit in Wales is a recognition of Jordan’s special and pivotal role in the preservation of regional peace and security, and a testimony to the country’s environment that fosters democracy, the rule of law and moderation, and to its drive to effect meaningful reforms to improve the quality of life of its citizens.

The NATO summit is said to be the largest ever gathering of select world leaders in recent times, understandable in view of the growing threat of terrorism and lawlessness, in the region and beyond.

The world has had to grapple with crisis after crisis: more ominous, the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, long brewing, the simmering conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and more recent, the armed conflict in East Ukraine and Afghanistan.

The some 60 world leaders taking part in the summit of the 28-nation NATO alliance may contemplate forming a global coalition of like-minded nations to combat new and old threats to world peace.

NATO does not wish to be caught off guard by conflicts in the world that could threaten its members’ security and safety. No doubt the group knows that preparedness is crucial.

The 60-year-old alliance’s own role in solving conflicts is surely on the agenda.

This role can be played not only by beefing up the group’s military capability, but also by addressing the root causes of the conflicts that end up spreading violence across the globe.

There is hope that the Wales summit will deal effectively and assertively with the dangers to regional and international peace, but also that NATO will be exerting more effort to address the causes of these dangers.

The summit may aim at establishing a new, working, world order and at confronting various threats to regional and international peace and security, to prevent them from spreading across the globe.

The inability of the UN Security Council to deal effectively with conflicts, especially in the Middle East, must prompt other entities and coalitions to fill in the vacuum.

NATO is well placed to do just that.