NATO gets a new chief but dont expect a revolution [Video]

Incoming NATO chief Mark Rutte brings new leadership this week to one of the world’s most powerful-sounding roles — helming the nuclear-armed Atlantic alliance.

But even if the former Dutch prime minister wanted to shake things up after taking over from Jens Stoltenberg, he probably couldn’t.

The reality of the NATO job means Rutte will be heading a risk-averse civilian bureaucracy, with hard power ultimately residing with member countries and above all the United States.

And in many ways NATO’s 32 nations — by swapping one mild-mannered, middle-aged, northern European male ex-premier for another — have opted for more of the same, to steer the alliance in troubled times.

“In such a difficult geopolitical situation, keeping continuation and the same foreign policy and security line is very important,” a senior NATO diplomat told AFP, talking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

During his more than 10 years at …