The Secretary General of NATO met with the Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite. The meeting primarily focus on acknowledging the leadership role that Lithuania has partaken in since Lithuania joined NATO in 2004. Lithuania has shown great leadership in regards to the stabilization of Afghanistan. With regards to Afghanistan, Lithuanian soldiers established a Provincial Reconstruction Team in the Goh province. Lithuania was also a leader in regards to energy security. The Centre of Excellence in Energy Security established by Lithuania received NATO accreditation in October 2012. NATO is also looking to Lithuanian to emerge as an economic leader in Europe as well.
Lithuania's leadership participation in NATO demonstrates the emergent of new countries eager to partake more in the happenings of the world. It has been predicted that more and more countries will emerge, similarly to Lithuania, to participate more in establishing world policy. Lithuania's participation in NATO demonstrates also a possible power shift that could occur. The days of particular states dictating global affairs could be ending within this century.
I agree. This shifting power balance, with the ever-increasing relevance of smaller states in dictating policy, surely has been a trend throughout the post-Soviet era. As the world has become less polarized, and through the continual process of globalization, security for all nations has come to be seen as more of a collective effort, lending to the potential importance of smaller states.
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