Northern Atlantic Treaty Organisation

Question 1

Give a brief history of NATO?

Answer 1

• initially Western European states (a collective security organisation) Purpose was to protect these states from military threat of the Soviet Union
• After cold war its relevancy was questioned, however now deals with Islamic terrorism, cold war fallout and Russian Imperialism (32 members)
• Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014: condemnation NATO. Russia v Ukraine 2022 gave NATO purpose. Finland + Sweden are members and moved 40,000 troops to the Russian border, as eastern European states fear Putin’s brutal tyranny. NATO now has much greater international meaning

Question 2

What is article 5 and how many times has it been invoked?

Answer 2

• If a NATO Ally is victim to a armed attack, each/every other member consider this act against all members and will take the actions it deems necessary to assist the Ally attacked.
• Only once after the 9/11 attack in the USA, led to wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya
• However the length and damage of these attacks brought to question whether NATO was being used for semi-imperialist purposes

Question 3

What are other examples of NATO’s activities?

Answer 3

• anti-piracy activities off the coast of Somalia, to protect international shipping lanes.
• Partnerships for Peace (PFP) with several non-members – Georgia and Ukraine – will possibly be extended/become an important part of NATO’s future purpose.
• from original purpose as a collective security organisation – has evolved with a greater emphasis on opposing Russian imperialism and engaging in humanitarian intervention, crisis management, peacemaking and fighting terrorism.

Question 4

What are the strengths of NATO?

Answer 4

• Most powerful/effective military organisation and enjoys the most advanced military technology, 70% of world military spending. European members spend $380bn on defence, USA spends $850bn (2024).
• Been able to act as a humanitarian force in Bosnia and Kosovo.
• Provides security to Western states in an uncertain world. No NATO member has ever been invaded/suffered any serious military attack.
• Heavily involved in the war against terrorism/decline of Islamic fundamentalism.
• Protects democracy, civil liberties and the market economics of its members
• Successfully preventing Russia from recapturing territory it lost with the collapse of the Soviet Union; Eastern European states have all been very keen to become members to prevent Russian imperialist expansion into their sovereign countries.

Question 5

What are NATO’s weaknesses?

Answer 5

• Never engaged in a military conflict involving attack on member state. Military operations have all been in other areas/did not involve defending a member state. Questions role as a defence organisation.
• 2014 Wales summit, leaders of NATO’s member states committed to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence by 2024, previously only an informal guideline which then only three states met, expected to be 23 members by the end of 2024.
• USA supplies 70% of NATO’s military budget. Europe is too reliant on the USA for security, Europe is not paying its fair share – repeated by Donald Trump – with the intimation that the USA might leave NATO
• NATOs expansion to Eastern Europe, (Baltic States/associations with Ukraine), unnecessarily provoked Russia to see NATO as a security threat - adopting an expansionist foreign policy (Georgia and Ukraine). Good example of security dilemma. Ignores right of nations to choose alliances.