NATO Case Studies Flashcards
successful NATO missions
the Balkans (Kosovo, Bosnia, etc)
Somalia
While it provided essential logistical support in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami it is currently training and reequipping the Iraqi army in it struggle against Isis
the Cold War
the Balkans
In the Balkans NATO launched large-scale air operations and deployed approximately 60,000 soldiers under operation joint endeavour
The contribution of NATO to ending the fighting in the Balkans and subsequently nationbuilding has been very positive
The UN by not taking sides in the conflict proved unable to stop the fighting get NATO by its bombing of the Bosnian Serb positions in 1995 led to the signing of the Dayton peace accords That ended the fighting in Bosnia
it’s bombing of Serbia in 1999 led to the liberation of Kosovo as well as the subsequent overthrow of Milosevic by the serbs them selves
NATO is a role in subsequent peacemaking in the Balkans has also been praised following ceasefire is in Bosnia in 1995 and then in Kosovo in 1999 it had a key role nationbuilding
The Bosnian war took place as part of a breakup of former Yugoslavia tensions between the different ethnic groups led to the genocide of Bosnian Muslims in the region was that first NATO was hesitant to intervene they realised that what they felt believed to be a Civil War was actually a war of aggression and ethnic cleansing
By the end of 1998 around 300,000 Kosovar Albanians had fled their homes as a result of conflict between the Kosovo liberation Army and Serbia military and police there were international efforts to attempt to resolve the crisis but after the Phalia of peace talks NATO conducted 78 days of airstrikes and fluid soldiers to and ethnic cleansing against the Kosovo Albanians
The nine day airstrike ordered by NATO in 1995 played a large role in ending the conflict the Dayton peace accords Were also signed in 1995 and NATO deployed a UN mandated multinational force of 60,000 to enforce this agreement and create conditions for self-sustaining peace
NATO ended its air campaign after the Serbian army began to withdraw NATO lead peacekeeping force began to enter Kosovo and received positive reception and thanks from the Albanian people although the operation was not you are mandated it is still seen as a success as it avoided humanitarian disaster in Kosovo and successfully ended the war
Somalia
NATO has also played an important role confronting Somali pirates as part of operation ocean shield
the Cold War
After World War II many countries were left devastated particularly economically
During times of crisis is when the far right or far left groups appear popular with public opinion as they often offer a dramatic change from times of hardship as a result there was a rise of Communist power in the east and with fear that this powered spread the beginning of the Cold War was marked
In response NATO was formed for a collective defence from the military threat from the Soviet bloc
NATO was successful as a number of events that took place in the Cold War including the Berlin blockade so the cooperation of western Europe and the US as the Soviets cut off all road access to Berlin, resources became scarce however western allies from a number of air forces US Canada UK France came together to take supplies directly into Berlin
As well as this and the eventual end of the Cold War which saw the demise of the Soviet union NATO can therefore be said to be successful as it prevented a military threat from Soviet Russia and Eastern Europe and prevented the Cold War becoming a ‘hot war’
NATO failures
Afghanistan
Libya
Arguably, instead of reducing the threat of terrorism, NATO action in Libya and Afghanistan has had the opposite effect, instead leading to a rise in terrorism as the overthrow of regimes has led to instability, thus allowing organisations like ISIL to extend its influence.
Afghanistan
Following the 9/11 attacks, America led the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001 to take control from the Taliban
Article 5 of the NATO charter was then invoked and NATO was called on to provide security and stability
It led the fight against Al Qaeda through the International Security Assistance Force and maintained a presence in the country from 2003 to 2014
NATO’s role in Afghanistan is highly controversial, partly because it was operating ‘out of area’ in unfamiliar territory, meaning those they were fighting against had the territorial advantage
“When the British went into these districts they didn’t know who were Taliban or not, had no idea of tribal politics and upset local people by bringing fighting and none of the promised reconstruction. They basically created a local insurgency where there had been none before” – Christina Lamb
NATO action led to ISIL achieving a presence in Afghanistan, which suggests that little was achieved in stabilising the region
NATO members disagreed as to the causes if instability in Afghanistan and were therefore unable to develop a shared strategy for providing security
Afghan civilians were killed by NATO airstrikes. For example, the bombing of a wedding party by a US air raid in 2008. It was hard to make the case that NATO, a supposed defence organisation, was acting defensively in Afghanistan
Aside from causing the loss of innocent lives, NATO intervention and the casualties resulting from such action created tensions between the Afghan government and foreign forces, as well as controversy among other NATO nations
NATO intervention is also seen as a failure due to the effects on NATO troops – more than 2000 US and 400 UK personnel were killed, these losses were politically damaging as people questioned how NATO troops serving and dying in Afghanistan helped the national interests of the member states
According to the Watson Institute for International Studies Costs of War Project, roughly 31,000 civilians had been killed as a result of the war up to the middle of 2016. Another report concluded that 106,000–170,000 civilians have been killed as a result of the fighting in Afghanistan at the hands of all parties to the conflict
Libya
In 2011, NATO began military intervention in Libya to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 which demanded “an immediate ceasefire in Libya, including an end to the current attacks against civilians… imposing a ban on all flights in the country’s airspace – a no-fly zone – and tightened sanctions on the Gaddafi regime and its supporters.”
The resolution was taken in response to events during the Libyan Civil War
Fighting in Libya ended in late October following the death of Muammar Gaddafi, and NATO stated it would end operations over Libya on 31 October 2011
NATO’s intervention in Libya is even more controversial than that in Afghanistan
The action taken, such as establishing ‘no fly zones’ and providing air support to rebel forces, successfully secured the overthrow of Gaddafi but this action is widely regarded as a failure due to the implications of the overthrow of Gaddafi
Following the overthrow of Gaddafi, NATO failed to engage in the necessary nation building and, as a result Libya is in a state of anarchy with rival militias and ethnic groups violently divided
As was the case in Afghanistan, ISIL is now operating within Libya
Deciding whether to take action in the first place was a challenge, with Germany and Turkey both opposing military force
There were numerous civilian casualties – for example, a NATO air strike hit a crowd gathered for Friday prayers in Brega leaving 11 religious leaders dead and 50 others wounded. Air strikes in Tripoli kill 19 civilians and wounded 150. NATO airstrike on a medical clinic in Zliten kills 11 civilians (though the claim was denied by NATO)
Libya claims that NATO strikes have left up to 718 civilians dead
Alleged long term consequences – Commentator Max Blumenthal claimed that “blowback from interventionist policies carried out in the name of human rights and ‘civilian protection’” contributed to the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. The perpetrator was of Libyan ancestry, born into a family of Libyan refugees who had settled in south Manchester after fleeing to the UK to escape the government of Muammar Gaddafi
