I'm not sure that NATO has any ambitions.
The U.S., as senior member and promoter of NATO, certainly does though.
NATO today in Europe is a form of genial American occupation.
It works towards the U.S. unexpressed objective of keeping Europe from becoming a competitor in world affairs.
It also works towards keeping Russia as isolated and surrounded as possible.
Neither of these goals is in Europe's long-term interest.
As for Afghanistan, what a farce!
Can you imagine a genuinely important conflict where all the members of an alliance quibble over small numbers of troops and where they should be stationed?
It's ludicrous, but what it demonstrates overwhelmingly is how only Bush's people think that conflict means anything.
NATO is there as a polite cover for the U.S. and as a supplier of funds.
The mission has no purpose, unless you define it as destroying the Taleban, which is pretty much the same thing as saying destroying a large part of the Afghan people.
