NATO Flashcards
what is NATO?
A military alliance based on the north Atlantic Treaty signed in 1949
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NATO was formed in 1949 by the signing of the Washington treaty
Originally had 12 members including the USA Canada and 10 states from western Europe it currently has 28 members
Formed to provide collective security against the threat of military action in Europe from the Soviet bloc during the Cold War and to promote deeper political integration and stability in Europe following World War II
The most important article of the Washington treaty is article 5 in which the signatories agree that an attack on one of them would be considered an attack on them all and that they would consider armed force in response this outlines the principle of collective security
An alliance of countries from Europe and North America main purpose is to Guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means found it in the aftermath of World War II with the purpose of securing Peace in Europe promoting Cooperation among its members and to guard there freedom
29 member states with Montenegro becoming the most recent member in 2017 (European nations can join the alliance as long as all existing allies agree)
early role of NATO
At the end of World War II Europe was devastated millions have been killed millions more displaced and Intyre countries and economies were no longer functioning it was feared that this political instability would lead to Communist parties winning elections the Cold War was beginning
The USA signalled its intentions with the Marshall plan designed to kickstart the economies of Europe and restore economic and political stability
Attempts to restore military security to Western Europe began with the western union in 1948 but it was felt that a truly North Atlantic approach including the USA was needed to be truly effective
The Korean War and the Soviet union is detonation of an atomic weapon in 1949 triggered deeper military integration
Lord Ismay NATO is first secretary general supposedly said that NATO’s purpose was to “keep the Russians out, the Americans in and the Germans down”
early role of NATO: the Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact all the Treaty of friendship cooperation and mutual assistance was formed in 1955 as a collective security organisation on the other side of the ideological divide from NATO in the Cold War
Signed by seven countries under Soviet influence Albania Czechoslovakia Poland Hungary Romania Bulgaria and East Germany as well as the Soviet union itself
NATO and Warsaw Pact countries never engaged in military conflict with each other but the balance of power relations between these two blocks was the backdrop to much of the tension of the Cold War relations were often tense in a divided Europe which was symbolised by the Berlin Wall which had been constructed in 1961 but during the 1960s there was a movement towards détente using previously strained relationships
After the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan tensions between NATO and the Warsaw Pact increased with a new arms race for ballistic missiles which created division in Western Europe
From 1985 the rise of Mikael Gorbachev who was happy to negotiate with the USA and its NATO allies meant that the Cold War was coming to an end
NATO was created as a unified front amongst Western nations against potential Soviet aggression when it was established its key role was to protect against aggression from the USSR and its military alliance the Warsaw Pact sought to counter the threat posed by the Soviet union at the time who gained power after World War II and sought to forcefully spread communism
This meant that the USA took on the role as guarantor Of the peace and security in Western Europe
timeline of NATO (1949 - 1999)
1949 12 states sign the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to DC for USA Canada UK Iceland France Norway Denmark Italy Belgium Netherlands Portugal and Luxembourg
1952 NATO expands to include Greece and Turkey
1955 W. Germany joined NATO the Warsaw Pact is formed in response
1982 Spain joined NATO
1991 end of the Cold War Warsaw Pact is dissolved NATO the role is changing
1994 partnership for peace program with former Warsaw Pact countries
1995 Bosnian campaign NATO launches its first military operation
1999 expansion of NATO eastwards (Poland Czech Republic Hungary)
timeline of NATO (2001 onwards)
2001 911 attacks on the USA NATO invoked article 5 for the first and only time
2002 further expansion eastwards seven more states join
2003 disagreements with the NATO over the Iraq war
2004 NATO’s first major operations outside Europe happen in Afghanistan and in 2005 NATO’s role in Afghanistan was expanded (Estonia Latvia Lithuania Slovakia Slovenia Romania and Bulgaria join)
2008 Russian war with Georgia strains NATO Russian relations
2009 NATO expands to 28 member states
2011 NATO mission over Libya sanctioned by the UNSC
2014 Russia annexes Crimean peninsular from Ukraine and supports ethnic Russians in the Donbass region of Ukraine
2016 NATO agrees that cyber warfare boy and enemy can trigger article 5
2017 Montenegro the most recent member joins
changing role of NATO: the end of the Cold War
For the first four decades of NATO the Cold War defined the alliance and collective defence against the USSR was its main role
After the cold war ended And the USSR collapsed many said that NATO had fulfilled its purpose and was no longer needed but the alliance still exists today
But after the end of the Cold War in 1991 NATO reinvented itself….
1) peacekeeping and humanitarian intervention — NATO carried out 77 days of airstrikes to remove Serbian troops from Kosovo in 1999 and is currently involved in peacekeeping in Afghanistan Kosovo and various regions in Africa
2) Expansion beyond Europe NATO commanded the UN mandated international security force in 2003 to 14 and from 2015 has led mission resolute support to trade advise and assist Afghan security forces and structures
3) Eastward expansion — 10 countries which were part of the USSR and Warsaw Pact have joined NATO since 1999
The end of the Cold War raised questions concerning NATO the threat that need to happen set up the council had vanished so was NATO still needed
It was still committed to fighting militant nationalism in Europe as well as promoting democracy and political integration the ex-Communist states of central and eastern Europe soon made it clear that they saw membership of NATO and the EU as key to embedding democracy and stability in their countries demonstrating the NATO was not yet obsolete
changing role of NATO: involvement beyond Europe
NATO is primary role is collective security in Europe and with the decline of the Soviet union people started to question his role but soon NATO member states began facing different threats in the 21st-century
On September 11 2001 terrorists flew passage airlines into the world trade Towers in New York and into the Pentagon in Washington DC this triggered the first and only time that article 5 of the natal chart was invoked this attack on one member state was an attack on them all
These terrorist attacks provoked a huge reaction from the US and its allies in operation enduring freedom do US let the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001 to take control from the Taliban regime which had allowed Al Qaeda to use the country as a base
changing role of NATO: involvement beyond Europe (NATO’s role in Afghanistan)
NATO was called on to take command of the international security assistance Force aiming to provide security and stability so that peace and democracy could flourish in Afghanistan
NATO maintain the presence of the country from 2003 to 2014 but NATO’s role in Afghanistan was controversial for numerous reasons
why was NATO’s role in Afghanistan controversial?
Military personnel from NATO countries suffered considerable casualties over 2000 US and 400 UK personnel killed these losses were politically damaging and it was hard to make the case that NATO perceived to be a defence organisation for Europe was acting defensively in Afghanistan people questioned how NATO troops serving and dying in Afghanistan helped the national interest of the member states
There were a number of friendly fire incidents in Afghanistan
Civilians were killed particularly in airstrikes by NATO aircraft such as the bombing of a wedding party by US air raids into thousand and eight on top of suffering these casualties also caused tensions between the Afghan government and foreign forces as well as controversy among other NATO nations
changing role of NATO: growth and expansion into Eastern Europe
The first expansion of NATO into former Warsaw Pact countries followed the reunification of Germany as the Cold War came to an end former Eastern Block countries had ambitions to join both NATO and the EU from 19 9012 states from central and Eastern Europe joint Dato 10 of which were for the Warsaw Pact countries and two were former republics of Yugoslavia
Crucially many states all the Cold War as a period of oppression by the Russians in the guise of the Soviet union these new democracy is were determined to entrench the freedom from Russia as well as their political and economic freedoms democracy peace and stability would be insured by collective security arrangement with other European states and the soul super power of the USA
All 12 states that have joined NATO since the Cold War Also wanted to join the EU and all the Albania have done so — membership of NATO would guarantee security, while membership of the EU would imbed democracy human rights and Market economies in those countries
conflict with Russia over eastern expansion
For Russia this expansion of NATO into its former sphere of influence was not only a threat but also betrayal the Russians believed that the deal to brag about German reunification prohibited the expansion of NATO into central Eastern Europe but this was not the case it now sees this Eastwood expansion as a part of the west’s policy to encircle and isolate Russia
changing role of NATO: relationship with Russia
NATO’s relationship with Russia and its predecessor the USSR has always been strained in recent years concerns about Russia’s objectives in its near abroad have raised tensions in the region to what some have described as a new Cold War
After the collapse of the Soviet union Russia was not in a position to confront the power of the USA economically militarily or politically so NATO did not feel under threat and as they took in more European countries and many joined the EU Europe seemed like a haven of peace and stability
However recently there have been several crises and tensions between Russia and NATO as Vladimir Putin has tried to regain Russia’s position as a global power
The stakes are high and both Russia and NATO have sought to bolster their borders by bringing troops and military equipment to deter what each site sees as an aggressive neighbour this movement suggest a replay of the Cold War and a classic security dilemma and arms race
relationship with Russia: tensions between NATO and Russia
Enlargement of NATO has caused disquiet and anger in Moscow but there have also been other issues where NATO and Russia have different interests
such as the USA is placement of an anti-ballistic missile system in former Soviet bloc countries near Russia — The US maintains that the system is designed to protect against missiles from Iran and North Korea but the Russians have their suspicions
The 2008 military conflagration Between Russia and Georgia has also raised tensions and Russia has sided with Serbia is historic ally over Kosovo is succession and pursuit of independence, Georgia is a prospective member of NATO
Recently Russian actions in Ukraine which is not a member of NATO caused alarm in the west in 2014 Russia annexed the Crimean peninsular which belongs to Ukraine and supported the pro-Russian rebels this as well as its actions in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine or signs of the danger that Russia poses
Russia is also rearming and has used its military to support President Assad in the Syrian Civil War
tensions between NATO and Russia: Poland and the Baltic States
NATO allies particularly those with better memories of Soviet domination are concerned that Putin’s tactics against Ukraine could be used against them too
Poland and the Baltic states are concerned about Russian tactics including the use of hybrid warfare which is a mixture of conventional warfare Subversive and destabilising Activities and cyber warfare that could test of the collective security commitments of the 28 members of NATO
They fear that the Russians could manufacture a crisis involving ethnic Russian minorities in the Baltic states to muddy the water is allowing Russia to intervene with troops were not actually beautiful to Russia as a card in Ukraine in such circumstances Russia could possibly deny responsibility therefore forcing NATO countries to decide whether to retaliate with limited evidence of the Russian state’s involvement
Any differing views within data on how to act would massively weaken the alliance and give strength to the Russians
changing role of NATO: relationships with the wider world
Other countries in the NATO area and further afield have partnerships and dialogues with block some of these are prospective members like georgia while others are members of the EU but not members of NATO such as Sweden Finland Austria
Cyprus is a unique case because it is a member of the EU but is unlikely to join NATO in the near future as Turkey would veto its membership
