Part 4/12:
A critical aspect of NATO's strategic stance involves understanding what constitutes an attack under Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which stipulates collective defense. Rutte emphasizes that mere flying over airspace, though provocative, does not constitute an attack unless it results in damage or loss of life. The alliance maintains ambiguity to prevent adversaries from gauging their thresholds, but he assures that NATO will know when Article 5 has been invoked and will respond accordingly.