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Each commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has two sets of bosses–a NATO boss and a national boss–and the national boss always has much more influence than does the NATO boss. In 2001–02, one of the authors (Saideman) served on the US Joint Staff’s Bosnia desk and was often surprised to see that senior NATO officer’s aides contradicted one another. General Joseph Ralston, who served as both the Supreme Allied Commander of the European-based forces (SACEUR) of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and as the Commander of all American forces in Europe, was especially plagued by this problem. His aides in Stuttgart, Germany, were Americans, providing him with advice as to what was best for the US in Europe. His aides in Mons, Belgium, were from various NATO members, providing military advice from a NATO perspective. Ralston leaned on different sets of …