NATO chief Mark Rutte takes charge at critical time

Mark Rutte announced in July 2023 that he was resigning as prime minister of the Netherlands and “retiring from politics” after his government coalition collapsed over differences in migration policy. 

By October of that year, however, Rutte had seemingly forgotten all about his vow to leave politics, signalling his interest in succeeding NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who had announced he would finally leave the post in September 2024 after a decade at the helm of the…