Stoltenberg starts work as new NATO chief

At a time of daunting geopolitical crises, NATO is undergoing its own version of regime change, with the arrival of a new chief official who has the blessing, at least temporarily, of one of the West’s biggest adversaries — Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Former two-term Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg started work on Wednesday as NATO’s Secretary-General, the 13th in the trans-Atlantic organisation’s 65-year existence.

And the key question is whether his consensus-building style will be more effective in tamping down the Ukraine conflict and other flashpoints than the hard talk of his predecessor, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Mr. Stoltenberg (55) was unanimously chosen as by NATO’s policy-making North Atlantic Council in March, a pick that won swift if tentative approval from Mr. Putin, who had dealt with him when he headed a left-of-centre government in Norway.