President Barack Obama will this weekend head to the 60th anniversary summit of Nato, held symbolically on the borders of Germany and France. His visit comes a week after the 10th anniversary of the Nato assault on the former Yugoslavia over Kosovo. The week also marks the re-integration of France into the Nato military command that it left 43 years ago. But amid all these military anniversaries what should Mr Obama’s message be for the Europeans and what will he get in response?

He should ask the Europeans to do more in terms of security in return for a grand bargain – the US will remain connected to Europe’s security and prosperity. Europe’s part should be to step up to the plate on guaranteeing our collective safety from the new global risks. We have seen the chaos inflicted by the flutter of a butterfly wing in subprime housing loans. The fallout could be just as severe from problems such as disease, climate change, resource wars and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.