Mark Rutte secures consensus to become next NATO Secretary General

[President Johnson]

His candidacy was already backed by Biden, Scholz, Sunak and Macron. Romania was the last one dropping opposition now, after its outgoing president Klaus Ioannis withdrew his own bid. He's expected to be formally nominated by the heads of government at the next summit in July (I just realized that's a few days after the UK Election, so Keir Starmer is likely to attend as prime minister).

Anyway, Rutte is an excellent pick.

https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1803857931525402898

[Storr]

This is expected yet positive news.

The main thing I'll remember about this is the drawn out anticlimactic saga that was Ioannis' idiotic bid to become General Secretary.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Good news.

[Sir Mohamed]

Good choice.

Is it some kind of an unwritten rule the NATO Secretary General needed to be a former head of govt? That was also the case Stoltenberg and Rassmussen before him. I remember some earlier speculation on former British Defense Minister Ben Wallace and there was some criticism he was never PM.

[Torrain]

Good choice.

Is it some kind of an unwritten rule the NATO Secretary General needed to be a former head of govt? That was also the case Stoltenberg and Rassmussen before him. I remember some earlier speculation on former British Defense Minister Ben Wallace and there was some criticism he was never PM.

It’s not a rule - but it’s become a lot more common. I know it had become a bit of an unspoken secret that they wanted someone with that level of clout to take over right now, in no small part because of the challenges posed in Ukraine… and by Trump.

Former Foreign/Defence ministers was common until quite recently. See Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (Dutch Foreign Minister) between 2004-09, and George Robertson (UK Secretary of Defence) in 1999-2003.

We’d offered Ben Wallace, and then also suggested William Hague (former Foreign Sec) and Theresa May, when Wallace failed to catch much attention.

[CumbrianLefty]

Woody does this stuff "better" than you.

[President Johnson]

Good choice.

Is it some kind of an unwritten rule the NATO Secretary General needed to be a former head of govt? That was also the case Stoltenberg and Rassmussen before him. I remember some earlier speculation on former British Defense Minister Ben Wallace and there was some criticism he was never PM.

It’s not a rule - but it’s become a lot more common. I know it had become a bit of an unspoken secret that they wanted someone with that level of clout to take over right now, in no small part because of the challenges posed in Ukraine… and by Trump.

Former Foreign/Defence ministers was common until quite recently. See Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (Dutch Foreign Minister) between 2004-09, and George Robertson (UK Secretary of Defence) in 1999-2003.

We’d offered Ben Wallace, and then also suggested William Hague (former Foreign Sec) and Theresa May, when Wallace failed to catch much attention.

Pretty much this. Some German journalists commented that the NATO chief should be at eye level with national leaders and therefore it was unwritten rule.

Other than Rutte, Kaja Kallas was also floated for the rule and would have been a strong pick. It's now rumored she might become the EU's next Foreign Policy Ambassador (which has turned into one of the most prestigious posts in the EU lately).

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Bad news.

Mark Rutte is going to wave around the useless Ukraine cause, prolonging the war.

Care to expound your current signature?