(CNN) -- The future of Europe may rest on whether NATO can recover its roots. With Russian President Vladimir Putin "land grabbing" and violating international law, the alliance is finding itself "brought back to its core," says Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, NATO's former secretary general. But it isn't prepared. When NATO was founded in 1949, its central task was to protect its members against military aggression and work to promote democracy -- which, in the years following, often meant standing against the Soviet empire. The alliance declares success in achieving that goal peacefully, saying on its website that "throughout the entire period of the Cold War, NATO forces were not involved in a single military engagement."
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After NATO's founding, it stood against Russia
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Now, the money and military aren't ready to do so
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Obama, Cameron and others say NATO can do it
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Analyst blames NATO, not Russia, for the crisis
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