NATO and Its Purpose
After World War II, the Cold War was still lingering in the air. The Soviet Union was still a threat to Europe. The Marshall Plan was implemented by the US with the aim of uniting the European countries, which were badly affected by the war. The US was feeling insecure and worried that the poverty, joblessness, and displacement were leading Western European voters towards Communist parties. These countries needed as much aid as they could get to help areas which were affected by the war. The US grabbed this opportunity and helped these countries and in return it wanted all the countries to join hands with the US and protect themselves from the Soviet Union. On April 4, 1949, America, Canada, and some European countries founded NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) to counter the threat posed by the Soviet Union and defend the members of NATO collectively. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has heightened the tension again. This year on 4 April, NATO celebrated its 75th anniversary.
Members of NATO
When NATO was founded, it had only 12 members. The founding members were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Nations and the United States. Now the military alliance has expanded and has 32 members. Recently, three more countries have expressed their desire to join NATO: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Ukraine.
How NATO Makes Decisions
When it comes to decision-making, voting doesn’t take place. NATO has been making decisions based on general agreement. All the decisions Nato makes are consensus decisions. All the member countries discuss and consult together before they all agree. All the member countries discuss and consult until they reach a decision that’s acceptable to all.
The Evolution of NATO
• Baltic sea was in a vulnerable position as there was possibility of being cut off if Russian troops capture the Suwalki Gap. It’s just a 65 kilometers long strip of land between Belarus and a Kaliningrad.
• With the joining of Finland and Sweden, the geopolitical landscape and the Northern Flank of Western military alliance has changed completely. Russia is left with little space to move around if a conflict takes place with Moscow.
• When NATO was formed, its sole purpose was to defend the alliance from the aggression of the Soviet Union. Later it became both a military and political alliance. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed, and NATO changed its priorities. It started focusing its attention on the threat posed by the ever increasing number of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and security challenges, etc.
•The invocation of article 5 took place after September 11, 2001. According to article 5, if any member falls victim to an armed attack, all the other members should take it as an attack to all the members of NATO. Allies can provide all the help the victim member needs.
•NATO was initially confined within a particular geographical scope, but with new members joining it has expanded its geographical area. NATO has undertaken many operations beyond its geographical scope, and it is called out-of-area-operation.NATO’s first out-of- area operation took place in 1990, in Balkan. After the breakup of Yugoslavia, the Bosnian war broke out, which went on from 1992 to 1995. To put an end to the ethnic violence and bloodshed, NATO intervened and brought peace back there.
Major Non-NATO Allies
The US designated some countries as major non-NATO allies. Those countries have a strategic working relationship with the US. These countries enjoy some benefits from the US, such as defense collaboration and security support. The MNNA title signifies the close relationship the country has with the US. These countries are provided military and economic privileges, but the US doesn’t demand security commitments from them.
The Challenges NATO is Facing
• Threat from China: As if Russia alone was not enough, China has now come into the scene. China’s ever-increasing influence, especially in the fields of technology and economics, is posing a threat to NATO.
• Security challenges: NATO has to be alert to security challenges such as hybrid warfare, terrorism, cyber warfare, and the rapid growth of weapons of mass destruction.
• Difficulties in making decision: When it comes to decision making, many members have different opinions. The increase in the number of members makes it difficult to reach a consensus decision. It has become more challenging to maintain unity and cohesion for NATO.
• Turkey’s different policies: Turkey is a member of NATO, but it’s following foreign policy, which is very different from NATO’s interests. Tukey involved in the Syrian war and the military action of Turkey against Kurdish troops have disappointed other NATO members.
• Relationship turned sour: The relationship between the US and Europe has not been so good after Trump came into power. Trump’s criticism of Europe members for failing to reach the defense budget target has affected it.
NATO Promotes Democracy
After the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, the Soviet Union collapsed. Some policymakers felt that NATO was no longer needed as the threat from the Soviet Union to Europe was no longer there. But today, NATO is still standing strong and helping democracy expand to the countries liberated from communist rule.
NATO is in favour of democracy and promotes democracy. A country doesn’t have to be a democratic country to join NATO and it doesn’t have to embrace democracy, but the country has to uphold the values of democracy. NATO believes that democracy is important for peace, unity and stability among its members.
NATO’s Ballistic Missile Defense
NATO is taking steps to protect its members from potential missile attacks from enemies with ballistic missile capabilities. The BDM architecture of NATO is designed to defend and counter different types of attacks. In September 2011, India got invitation from NATO to be a partner in its BDM system.However, India did not accept the invitation, expressing concerns over the impact it will have on its relationship with other countries, especially Russia.
With all the challenges it’s facing, NATO is still standing strong, and many countries, like Ukraine, want to join NATO to be protected from the threats. It’s still expanding and also helping many non-NATO allies.