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NATO
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{| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="4" style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
|-
|+ style="font-size: larger; margin-left: inherit;" | '''North Atlantic Treaty Organisation'''
'''Organisation du Traité de l'Atlantique Nord'''
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" |
Image:Flag of NATO.svg 250px|Flag of NATO Flag of NATO
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #fff;" |
Image:Map of NATO countries.png 250px
|-
|'''Headquarters'''
|
Brussels
|-
| '''Membership'''
| 26 member states
|-
| '''
Official language Official languages{{Fn|2}}'''
|
English language English,
French language French
|-
| '''Secretary General'''
|
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
|-
| '''Formation'''
|
4 April,
1949
|}
{{portalpar|NATO}}
Image:NATO-2002-Summit.jpg 250px|thumb|NATO 2002 Summit in Prague
{{for|the trade organisation|National Association of Theatre Owners}}
The '''North Atlantic Treaty Organisation''' ('''NATO'''), also called the '''North Atlantic Alliance''', the '''Atlantic Alliance''' or the '''Western Alliance''', is an
international organization international organisation{{fn|1}} for
collective security established in 1949, in support of the
North Atlantic Treaty signed in
Washington, DC, on
4 April 1949. Its headquarters are located in
Brussels[Boulevard Léopold III, B-1110 BRUSSELS, which is in Haren, part of the City of Brussels, {{cite web.html">Belgium. Its other official name is the , French language French.html" title="Meaning of title=NATO_homepage|accessdate=2006-03-07}}],
French">French equivalent, ''l'Organisation du Traité de l'Atlantique Nord'' (''OTAN'').
Purpose
The core of NATO is '''Article V''' of the NATO Treaty, which states:
:''The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all. Consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the
Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.''
The Treaty cautiously avoids reference both to the identification of an enemy and to any concrete measures of common defence. Nevertheless, it was intended so that if the
USSR and its allies launched an attack against any of the NATO members, it would be treated as if it was an attack on all member states. This marked a significant change for the United States, which traditionally harboured strong isolationist groups across parties in Congress. However, the feared invasion of Western Europe never came. Instead, the provision was invoked for the first time in the treaty's history on
12 September 2001, in response to the
11 September September 11, 2001 attacks attacks on the United States the day before.
NATO Summit 2006 will take place in
Latvia.
History
{{cleanup-section|March 2006}}
Image:NATO March 29 2004.jpg 250px|thumb|The US President, NATO Secretary General, and the Prime Ministers of Latvia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Estonia after a South Lawn ceremony welcoming them into NATO on 29 March 2004.
Beginnings
The
Treaty of Brussels 1948 Treaty of Brussels, signed on
17 March 1948 by
Belgium, the
Netherlands,
Luxembourg (the
Benelux countries),
France, and the
United Kingdom, is considered the precursor to the NATO agreement. This treaty established a military alliance, later to become the
Western European Union. However, American participation was thought necessary in order to counter the military power of the Soviet Union, and therefore talks for a new military alliance began almost immediately.
These talks resulted in the
North Atlantic Treaty, signed in
Washington, DC, in the
United States, on
4 April 1949, and included the five Treaty of Brussels states (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and the UK),
United States and
Canada from North America,
Portugal and
Italy and the three Nordic countries of
Norway,
Denmark and
Iceland. Three years later, on
18 February 1952,
Greece and
Turkey also joined.
The incorporation of
West Germany into the organisation on
9 May 1955 was described as "a decisive turning point in the history of our continent" by
Halvard Lange, Foreign Minister of Norway at the time.
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/9/newsid_2519000/2519979.stm] Indeed, one of its immediate results was the creation of the
Warsaw Pact, signed on
14 May 1955 by the
Soviet Union and its
satellite states as a formal response to this event, firmly establishing the two opposing sides of the
Cold War.
Balance of power
*
1966:
Charles de Gaulle removes French armed forces from NATO’s integrated military command to pursue its own nuclear defence programme. All non-French NATO troops are forced to leave France. This precipitates the relocation of the NATO Headquarters from
Paris to
Brussels by
16 October 1967. While the political headquarters are located in Brussels the military headquarters, the
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), are located just south of Brussels, in the town of
Mons.
*
1 July 1968: The
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty opened for signature. NATO argued its
nuclear weapons sharing arrangements did not breach the treaty as US forces controlled the weapons until a decision is made to go to war, at which point the treaty would no longer be controlling. Few states knew of the NATO nuclear sharing arrangements at that time, and they were not challenged.
*
30 May 1978: NATO countries define two complementary aims of the Alliance, to maintain security and pursue
détente. This is supposed to mean matching defences at the level rendered necessary by the
Warsaw Pact's offensive capabilities without spurring a further
arms race.
*
12 December 1979: In light of a build-up of
Warsaw Pact nuclear capabilities in Europe, ministers approved the deployment of US
Cruise missile Cruise and
Pershing II theatre nuclear weapons in Europe. The new warheads are also meant to strengthen the western negotiating position in regard to nuclear disarmament. This policy was called the
Dual Track policy.
*
30 May 1982: Spain joins the alliance, following a
referendum.
*
1983–
1984 84: Responding to the stationing of Warsaw Pact
SS-20 medium-range missiles in Europe, NATO deploys modern Pershing II missiles able to reach Moscow within minutes. This action leads to bitter
peace movement protests throughout Western Europe.
*
November 1983: A NATO manoeuvre code-named
Able Archer 83, which simulates a NATO nuclear release, causes panic in the Kremlin. Soviet leadership, led by ailing General Secretary
Yuri Andropov becomes concerned that US President
Ronald Reagan may intend to launch a genuine
first strike. In response, Soviet nuclear forces were readied and air units in Eastern Germany and Poland were placed on alert. Though at the time written off by US intelligence as a propaganda effort, many historians now believe Soviet fear of a NATO first strike was genuine.
Post-Cold War
The end of the
Cold War, with the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s, and the dissolution of the
Warsaw Pact and the
Soviet Union in 1991 removed the de facto main adversary of NATO. This caused a strategic reevalution of NATO's purpose, nature and tasks. In practice this ended up entailing a gradual (and still ongoing) expansion of NATO to Eastern Europe, as well as the extension of its activities to areas not formerly concerning it.
The first post-Cold War expansion of NATO came with the
reunification of Germany on
3 October 1990, when the former
East Germany becomes part of the
Federal Republic of Germany and the alliance. This had been agreed in the
Two Plus Four Treaty earlier in the year. To secure Soviet approval of a united Germany remaining in NATO, it was agreed that foreign troops and nuclear weapons will not be stationed in the east.
On
8 February 1994, NATO also takes its first military action, shooting down two Bosnian Serb aircraft violating a UN
no-fly zone over central
Bosnia and Herzegovina. NATO air strikes the following year help bring the
Yugoslav wars war in Bosnia to an end, resulting in the
Dayton Agreement.
Between 1994 and 1997, wider forums for regional cooperation between NATO and its neighbours are set up, like the
Partnership for Peace, the
Mediterranean Dialogue initiative and the
Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. In
8 July 1997, three former communist countries, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland, were invited to join NATO, which finally happened in 1999.
On
24 March 1999, NATO saw its first broad-scale military engagement in the
Kosovo War, where it waged an 11-week bombing campaign against what was then the
Serbia and Montenegro Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Conflict ended on
11 June 1999, when Yugoslavian leader
Slobodan Milošević agreed to NATO’s demands. NATO then helped establish the
KFOR, a NATO-led force that operates the military peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.
Debate concerning NATO's role and the concerns of the wider international community continued throughout its expanded military activities: The United States opposed efforts to require the UN Security Council to approve NATO military strikes, such as the ongoing action against Yugoslavia, while France and other NATO countries claimed the alliance needed UN approval. American officials said that this would undermine the authority of the alliance, and they noted that
Russia and
China would have exercised their Security Council vetoes to block the strike on
Yugoslavia. In April 1999, at the
Washington, D.C. Washington summit, a German proposal that NATO adopts a
no-first-use nuclear strategy is rejected.
{{cleanup}}
After the September 11, 2001 attacks 9/11 attacks
Image:NATO Defense Ministerial Conference in Nice 2005.jpg thumb|295px|NATO Defence Ministerial Conference in Nice 2005
The expansion of the activities and geographical reach of NATO grew even further as an outcome of the
September 11, 2001 attacks 9/11 attacks. These caused as a response the provisional invocation (on
September 12) of the collective security of NATO's charter — Article 5 which states that any attack on a member state will be considered an attack against the entire group of members. The invocation is confirmed on
5 October 2001 when NATO determines that the attacks were indeed eligible under the terms of the North Atlantic Treaty. [http://www.nato.int/docu/update/2001/1001/e1002a.htm]
Despite this early show of solidarity, NATO would face a crisis little more than a year later, when on
10 February 2003,
France and
Belgium vetoed the procedure of silent approval concerning the timing of protective measures for
Turkey in case of a possible war with
Iraq.
Germany did not use its right to break the procedure but said it supported the veto.
On the issue of
Afghanistan on the other hand, the alliance showed greater unity: On
16 April 2003 NATO agreed to take command of the
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in
Afghanistan. The decision came at the request of
Germany and the
Netherlands, the two nations leading ISAF at the time of the agreement, and all 19 NATO ambassadors approved it unanimously. The handover of control to NATO takes place on
11 August, and marked the first time in NATO’s history that it took charge of a mission outside the north Atlantic area.
Canada had originally been slated to take over ISAF by itself on that date.
New NATO structures are also formed while old ones are abolished: The
NATO Response Force (NRF) is launched at the
2002 Prague Summit of NATO 2002 Prague Summit on
21 November. On
19 June 2003, a major restructuring of the NATO military commands began as the Headquarters of the Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic were abolished and a new command,
Allied Command Transformation (ACT), was established in
Norfolk, Virginia,
USA, and the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) became the Headquarters of
Allied Command Operations (ACO). ACT is responsible for driving transformation (future capabilities) in NATO, whilst ACO is responsible for current operations.
Membership went on expanding with the accession of seven more Eastern European countries to NATO:
Estonia,
Latvia,
Lithuania,
Slovenia,
Slovakia,
Bulgaria, and
Romania, which were first invited to start talks of membership during the 2002 Prague Summit. They finally joined NATO on
29 March 2004, attending their first NATO meeting on the following month, and bringing NATO's membership to its current extent. In addition, a number of other countries, also express the wish to join the alliance, including
Albania, the
Republic of Macedonia, and
Croatia.
Membership
Image:Map_of_NATO_countries2.png 400px|thumb|Map of NATO countries
Image:NATO expansion.png thumb|300px|right|Membership of NATO in Europe
; Founding members (
4 April 1949):
* {{flagcountry|Belgium}}
* {{flagcountry|Canada}}
* {{flagcountry|Denmark}}
* {{flagcountry|France}}
* {{flagcountry|Iceland}}
* {{flagcountry|Italy}}
* {{flagcountry|Luxembourg}}
* {{flagcountry|Netherlands}}
* {{flagcountry|Norway}}
* {{flagcountry|Portugal}}
* {{flagcountry|United Kingdom}}
* {{flagcountry|United States}}
; States that joined during the
Cold War:
* {{flagcountry|Greece}} (
18 February 1952)
* {{flagcountry|Turkey}} (
18 February 1952)
* {{flagcountry|Germany}} (
9 May 1955 as
West Germany;
East Germany reunited with it on
3 October 1990)
* {{flagcountry|Spain}} (
30 May 1982)
;Former
Eastern Bloc states that joined after the Cold War:
'''
12 March 1999:'''
* {{flagcountry|Czech Republic}}
* {{flagcountry|Hungary}}
* {{flagcountry|Poland}}
'''
29 March 2004:'''
* {{flagcountry|Bulgaria}}
* {{flagcountry|Estonia}}
* {{flagcountry|Latvia}}
* {{flagcountry|Lithuania}}
* {{flagcountry|Romania}}
* {{flagcountry|Slovakia}}
* {{flagcountry|Slovenia}}
France withdrew from the integrated military command in 1966. Since then it has remained solely a member of NATO's political structure.
Iceland, the sole NATO member that does not have its own military force (the
Icelandic Defense Force being the US Military contingent permanently stationed in Iceland), joined on the condition that they would not be expected to establish one.
Greece withdrew its forces from NATO’s military command structure from 1974 to 1980 as a result of
Greco-Turkish relations Greco-Turkish tensions following the 1974
Cyprus dispute.
Cooperation with non-member states
[[Image:NATO Partners.png|400px|thumb|
{{legend|#181884|NATO member states}}
{{legend|#8c9618|Partnership for Peace countries}}
{{legend|#944918|Mediterranean Dialogue countries}}]]
Euro-Atlantic Partnership
{{main articles|
Partnership for Peace,
Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council}}
A double framework has been established to help further co-operation between the 26 NATO members and 20 "partner countries".
* The '''Partnership for Peace (PfP)''' program was established in 1994 and is based on individual bilateral relations between each partner country and NATO: each country may choose the extent of its participation. The PfP program is considered the operational wing of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership.
* The '''Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council''' on the other hand was first established on
29 May 1997, and is a forum for regular co-ordination, consultation and dialogue between all 46 participants.
The 20 partner countries are the following:
{|
|-
| width=50% valign=top |
*'''12'''
post-Soviet states former Soviet republics:
:* {{flagcountry|Armenia}}
:* {{flagcountry|Azerbaijan}}
:* {{flagcountry|Belarus}}
:* {{flagcountry|Georgia}}
:* {{flagcountry|Kazakhstan}}
:* {{flagcountry|Kyrgyzstan}}
:* {{flagcountry|Moldova}}
:* {{flagcountry|Russia}}
:* {{flagcountry|Tajikistan}}
:* {{flagcountry|Turkmenistan}}
:* {{flagcountry|Ukraine}}
:* {{flagcountry|Uzbekistan}}
| width=50% valign=top |
*'''5''' countries that (though militarily neutral) possessed capitalist economies during the Cold War:
:* {{flagcountry|Austria}}
:* {{flagcountry|Finland}}
:* {{flagcountry|Ireland}}
:* {{flagcountry|Sweden}}
:* {{flagcountry|Switzerland}}
*'''3''' Balkan nations also on the Eastern side of the
Iron Curtain during the Cold War:
:* {{flagcountry|Croatia}}
:* {{flagcountry|Republic of Macedonia}}
:* {{flagcountry|Albania}}
|}
Mediterranean Dialogue
The Mediterranean Dialogue, first launched in 1994 is a forum of cooperation between NATO and seven countries of the Mediterranean:
* {{flagcountry|Algeria}}
* {{flagcountry|Egypt}}
* {{flagcountry|Israel}}
* {{flagcountry|Jordan}}
* {{flagcountry|Mauritania}}
* {{flagcountry|Morocco}}
* {{flagcountry|Tunisia}}
* {{flagcountry|Zimbabwe}}
NATO-Russia Council
{{main|NATO-Russia Council}}
NATO and Russia made a reciprocal commitment in 1997 "to work together to build a stable, secure and undivided continent on the basis of partnership and common interest."
In May 2002, this commitment was strengthened with the establishment of the NATO-Russia Council, which brings together the NATO members and Russia. The purpose of this council is to identify and pursue opportunities for joint action with the 27 participants as equal partners.
Structures
Political structure
Image:Bush dehoopscheffer.jpg Secretary_General of NATO thumb|[[Secretary General of NATO|Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer meeting George Bush on [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060320-1.html March 20, 2006] .html" title="Meaning of Secretary General.html" title="Meaning of thumb|[[Secretary General of NATO|Secretary General">thumb|[[Secretary General of NATO|Secretary General
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer meeting George Bush on [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060320-1.html March 20, 2006] ">Secretary General.html" title="Meaning of thumb|[[Secretary General of NATO|Secretary General">thumb|[[Secretary General of NATO|Secretary General
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer meeting George Bush on [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060320-1.html March 20, 2006]
Like any alliance, NATO is ultimately governed by its 26 member states. However, the North Atlantic Treaty, and other agreements, outline how decisions are to be made within NATO. Each of the 26 members sends a delegation or mission to NATO’s headquarters in
Brussels,
Belgium. The senior permanent member of each delegation is known as the Permanent Representative and is generally a senior
civil servant or an experienced
ambassador (and holding that diplomatic rank).
Together the Permanent Members form the
North Atlantic Council (NAC), a body which meets together at least once a week and has effective political authority and powers of decision in NATO.
From time to time the Council also meets at higher levels involving
Foreign Ministers,
Defence Ministers or
Head of government Heads of Government and it is at these meetings that major decisions regarding NATO’s policies are generally taken. However, it is worth noting that the Council has the same authority and powers of decision-making, and its decisions have the same status and validity, at whatever level it meets.
The meetings of the North Atlantic Council are chaired by the
Secretary General of NATO Secretary General of NATO and, when decisions have to be made, action is agreed upon on the basis of unanimity and common accord. There is no voting or decision by majority. Each nation represented at the Council table or on any of its subordinate committees retains complete sovereignty and responsibility for its own decisions.
* The second pivotal member of each country's delegation is the Military Representative, a senior officer from each country's armed forces. Together the Military Representatives form the Military Committee, a body responsible for recommending to NATO’s political authorities those measures considered necessary for the common defence of the NATO area. Its principal role is to provide direction and advice on military policy and strategy. It provides guidance on military matters to the NATO Strategic Commanders, whose representatives attend its meetings, and is responsible for the overall conduct of the military affairs of the Alliance under the authority of the Council.
Like the council, from time to time the Military Committee also meets at a higher level, namely at the level of Chiefs of defence, the most senior military officer in each nation's armed forces.
The
NATO Parliamentary Assembly is made up of legislators from the member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance as well as 13 associate members.
[http://www.nato-pa.int/Default.asp?SHORTCUT=1]
Military structure
Image:Nato awacs.jpg United States Air Force thumb|right|300px|German E-3A flying with [[United States Air Force|American F-16 Fighting Falcon F-16s in NATO exercise.html" title="Meaning of American.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|300px|German E-3A flying with [[United States Air Force|American">thumb|right|300px|German E-3A flying with [[United States Air Force|American
F-16 Fighting Falcon F-16s in NATO exercise">American.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|300px|German E-3A flying with [[United States Air Force|American">thumb|right|300px|German E-3A flying with [[United States Air Force|American
F-16 Fighting Falcon F-16s in NATO exercise
NATO’s military operations are directed by two Strategic Commanders, both senior U.S. officers assisted by a staff drawn from across NATO. The Strategic Commanders are responsible to the Military Committee for the overall direction and conduct of all Alliance military matters within their areas of command.
Before 2003 the Strategic Commanders were the
Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and the
Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT) but the current arrangement is to separate command responsibility between
Allied Command Transformation (ACT), responsible for transformation and training of NATO forces, and
Allied Command Operations, responsible for NATO operations world wide.
The commander of Allied Command Operations retained the title "Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR)", and is based in the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) located at
Casteau, north of the
Belgian city of
Mons. This is about 80 km (50 miles) south of NATO’s political headquarters in Brussels. Allied Command Transformation (ACT) is based in the former Allied Command Atlantic headquarters in
Norfolk, Virginia,
USA.
NATO operates a fleet of
E-3 Sentry E-3A Sentry AWACS airborne radar aircraft based out of
NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen Geilenkirchen Air Base in Germany.
List of officials
{| class="wikitable"
|+ '''Secretaries General'''
[http://www.nato.int/cv/secgen.htm]
|-
! #
! Name
! Country
! Duration
|-
| 1
|
General Hastings Lionel Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay Lord Ismay
| {{flagcountry|United Kingdom}}
|
4 April 1952 –
16 May 1957
|-
| 2
|
Paul-Henri Spaak
| {{flagcountry|Belgium}}
|
16 May 1957 –
21 April 1961
|-
| 3
|
Dirk Stikker
| {{flagcountry|Netherlands}}
|
21 April 1961 –
1 August 1964
|-
| 4
|
Manlio Brosio
| {{flagcountry|Italy}}
|
1 August 1964 –
1 October 1971
|-
| 5
|
Joseph Luns
| {{flagcountry|Netherlands}}
|
1 October 1971 –
25 June 1984
|-
| 6
|
Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington Lord Carrington
| {{flagcountry|United Kingdom}}
|
25 June 1984 –
1 July 1988
|-
| 7
|
Manfred Wörner
| {{flagcountry|Germany}}
|
1 July 1988 –
13 August 1994
|-
| 8
| ''
Sergio Balanzino, acting''
| {{flagcountry|Italy}}
|
13 August 1994 –
17 October 1994''
|-
| 9
|
Willy Claes
| {{flagcountry|Belgium}}
|
17 October 1994 –
20 October 1995
|-
| 10
| ''
Sergio Balanzino, acting''
| {{flagcountry|Italy}}
|
20 October 1995 –
5 December 1995''
|-
| 11
|
Javier Solana
| {{flagcountry|Spain}}
|
5 December 1995 –
6 October 1999
|-
| 12
|
George Robertson Lord Robertson of Port Ellen
| {{flagcountry|United Kingdom}}
|
14 October 1999 –
1 January 2004
|-
| 13
|
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
| {{flagcountry|Netherlands}}
|
1 January 2004 – present
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ '''Deputy Secretary General of NATO'''
[http://www.nato.int/cv/secgen.htm]
|-
! #
! Name
! Country
! Duration
|-
| 1
|
Sergio Balanzino
| {{flagcountry|Italy}}
| 1994 – 2001
|-
| 2
|
Alessandro Minuto Rizzo
| {{flagcountry|Italy}}
| 2001 – present
|}
Research and Technology (R&T) at NATO
NATO currently possesses three Research and Technology (R&T) organisations:
*'''NATO Undersea Research Centre (NURC)''' (
[http://www.nurc.nato.int]), reporting directly to the Supreme
Allied Command Transformation;
*'''Research and Technology Agency (RTA)''' (
[http://www.rta.nato.int]), reporting to the Research and Technology Organisation (RTO);
*'''NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A)''' (
[http://www.nc3a.nato.int]), reporting to the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Organisation (NC3O).
Possible NATO expansion
The admission of further
Partnership for Peace-nations is very likely. PFP often is considered a route to full scale NATO-membership. As a corollary NATO would become even more divergent in many respects, and harder to stir institutionally, which might further dilute the commitment of the traditionally strong member states to their partners.
Albania,
Croatia, and the
Republic of Macedonia are the three countries currently in the NATO MAP (Membership Action Plan); they are likely to join NATO in the future.
Ukraine
Defence Minister of
Ukraine Anatoly Hrytsenko has declared that Ukraine will have an Action Plan on NATO membership by the end of March 2006, to begin implementation by September of the same year. A final decision concerning Ukraine's membership in NATO is expected to be made in a 2008 NATO-Ukraine, with full membership possibly attained by the year 2010.
[http://en.for-ua.com/news/2006/03/20/114232.html]
The idea of Ukrainian membership in NATO has achieved supported from a number of NATO leaders, including President
Traian Basescu of
Romania [http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/bulgarias-capital-to-host-nato-talks/id_14114/catid_66] and president
Ivan GaÅ¡paroviÄ? of Slovakia.
[http://www.slovakspectator.sk/clanok.asp?cl=22855]
Currently however, a majority of Ukrainian citizens oppose NATO membership. Protests have taken place by opposition blocs against the idea, and petitions signed urging the end of relations with NATO. Prime Minister
Yuri Yekhanurov has indicated Ukraine will not enter NATO as long as the public continues opposing the move.
[http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=4735634&PageNum=0]
Finland
Finland is participating in nearly all sub-areas of the Partnership for Peace programme, and has provided peacekeeping forces to the Afghanistan and Kosovo missions. The possibility of
Finland's membership in NATO was one of the most major issues debated in relation to the
Finnish presidential election, 2006 Finnish presidential election of 2006.
The main contester of the presidency,
Sauli Niinistö of the
National Coalition Party (Finland) National Coalition Party, supported Finland joining a "more European" NATO. Fellow right-winger
Henrik Lax of the
Swedish People's Party (Finland) Swedish People's Party likewise supported the concept. On the other side, incumbent president
Tarja Halonen of the
Social Democratic Party of Finland Social Democratic Party opposed changing the status quo, same as most other candidates in the election. Her victory and re-election to the post of president has currently put the issue of a NATO membership for Finland on hold for at least the duration of her term.
Other political figures of Finland who have weighed in with opinions include former
President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari who has argued that Finland should join all the organisations supported by other Western democracies in order "to shrug off once and for all the burden of
Finlandisation".
[[http://www2.hs.fi/english/archive/news.asp?id=20031215IE6 Helsingin Sanomat: Former President Ahtisaari: NATO membership would put an end to Finlandisation murmurs]] Another former president,
Mauno Koivisto, opposes the idea, arguing that NATO membership would ruin Finland's relations with Russia.
[[http://www2.hs.fi/english/archive/news.asp?id=20040120IE3 Helsingin Sanomat: Finland, NATO, and Russia]]
Polls in Finland indicate that the public is strongly against NATO membership.
[[http://www.hs.fi/english/article/1101978684236 Helsingin Sanomat: Clear majority of Finns still opposed to NATO membership]]
Israel
Israel is currently a
Mediterranean Dialogue country and has been recently seeking to expand its relationship with NATO. The first visit by a head of NATO to Israel happened on
23 February 23-24 February 2005 [http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=12960] and the first joint Israel-NATO naval exercise occurred on
27 March 2005.
[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/nato032705.html]. In May of the same year Israel was admitted in the
NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Israeli troops also took part in NATO exercises in June 2005.
There have been advocates for the NATO membership of
Israel, among them the former Prime Minister of Spain
José MarÃa Aznar and Italian Defence Minister
Antonio Martino. However Secretary-General of the organisation
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has dismissed such calls, saying that membership for Israel is not on the table. Martino himself said that a membership process could only come after an Israeli request; such a request has not yet taken place.
[http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=1525103&C=europe]
Israeli Foreign Minister
Silvan Shalom stated in February 2005 that his country was looking to upgrade its relationship with NATO from a dialogue to a partnership, but that it wasn't seeking membership, saying that "NATO members are committed to mutual defence and we don't think we are in a position where we can intervene in other struggles in the world," and also that "We don't see that NATO should get engaged in our conflict here in the Middle East."
[http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=12960]
The issue of Israel's potential membership again came to the forefront in early 2006 after heightened tensions between Israel and Iran. Former Prime Minister of Spain
José MarÃa Aznar argued that Israel should become a member of the organisation alongside
Japan and
Australia, saying that "So far, expansion of NATO was an attempt at the growth and consolidation of democratic change in the former Communist countries. Now it is time to do the opposite, to expand toward those democratic nations that are committed to the struggle against our common enemy and ready to contribute to the common effort to free ourselves from it."
[{{cite web
|url=http://www.spainherald.com/2674.html
|work=The Spain Herald
|accessdate=2006-03-22
|title=Aznar proposes NATO reform to Hoover Institute}}][{{cite web
|url=http://www.spainherald.com/2754.html
|work=The Spain Herald
|accessdate=2006-03-22
|title=Aznar criticised the Iranian regime, called for a firm response from Europe}}] Aznar also proposed a strategic co-operation with
India and
Colombia.
Debate on the benefits and necessity of NATO
Lack of main enemy
The crumbling of the main "enemy of the west" in
Eastern Europe removed for many observers the necessity of a collective defence organisation. The debate about the necessity of NATO has increased due to dissension between members about the American-led invasion of
Iraq, makes some wonder (largely in North America) whether NATO has not become obsolete.
The presumed threat of terrorism could give the institution a new life, but some think also that fighting terrorists needs a completely different political and military organisation, as well as completely different weapon systems to those on which NATO was built. Others see the reorganisations currently taking place (e.g. see
Allied Command Transformation) as providing already the evolution needed to counter new challenges.
Benefits for the United States
In the USA, some emphasise the discrepancy in military spending between the USA and most European members. While the USA has the largest total military budget in the world, European nations have decreased their budgets significantly after the end of the Cold War. The gap in military capabilities is thus increasing, which raises questions about what the USA gains from membership. The lack of European capabilities was highlighted during the Kosovo crisis. Former NATO-secretary
Lord Robertson criticised the European members in 1999, pointing out European nations must commit substantially more funds to defence just to meet their existing commitments to NATO
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/546307.stm]
However, this commitment was not fulfilled in the following years, and this is expected to remain the case for the foreseeable future. That the US wants to continue to benefit from military ties with Europe (though not necessarily through NATO) can be seen by the fact that the US has had talks with Poland and other European countries over the possibility of setting up a European base to intercept long-range missiles, as part of the American
NMD programme. This programme is designed to shoot down long-range missiles fired at North America. A European base would also protect some European nations (as well as the US).
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4445284.stm]
Issues with European integration
Many argue that NATO is in conflict with the prospect of deeper European integration in the fields of foreign policy and security within the framework of the
European Union EU institutions. Some advocates for a strong EU
Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) would like to see NATO dismantled and a common defence and foreign policy created within the existing EU institutions. In November 2004, after the re-election of United States President
George W. Bush, the Norwegian Prime Minister
Kjell Magne Bondevik publicly discussed whether
Norway would benefit from strengthening her defence relations with the
EU.
Notes
{{fnb|1}} NATO uses
British English British English spelling as its standard. This convention is discussed in its [http://www.nato.int/issues/faq/index.html#C4 online frequently asked questions]: ''"Q: Why do you spell 'organisation' with an 's' and not a 'z'? A: By tradition, NATO uses European English spellings in all public information documents..."''. NATO has two official languages, English and French, defined in Article 14 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
References
See also
*
Atlantic Council
*
Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council
*
Headquarters Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps
*
NATO Medal
*
NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency
*
Non-Aligned Movement
*
Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe OSCE
*
Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
*
Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty
*
Partnership for Peace
*
Peacekeeping
*
Silence procedure
*
UN
*
Warsaw pact
*
WEU
*
Ranks and insignia of NATO
*
Ranks and insignia of NATO Armies Officers
*
Ranks and insignia of NATO Armies Enlisted
*
Ranks and insignia of NATO Air Forces Officers
*
Ranks and insignia of NATO Air Forces Enlisted
*
Ranks and insignia of NATO Navies Officers
*
Ranks and insignia of NATO Navies Enlisted
*
List of NATO country codes
External links
{{commons|North Atlantic Treaty Organisation}}
-
Basic NATO Documents
-
'NATO force 'feeds Kosovo sex trade' ''(The Guardian)''
-
NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) Official Website
-
NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) Official Website
-
NATO Official Website
-
NATO Response Force Article
-
NATO searches for defining role
-
Official Article on NATO Response Force
-
World Map of NATO Member Countries
-
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding NATO
-
Stop NATO! UK
-
Balkan Anti NATO Center, Greece
-
NATO Defense College
-
Atlantic Council of the United States
{{NATO}}
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Category:4-letter acronyms
Category:Anti-communism
Category:Cold War treaties
Category:History of Europe
Category:International organizations
Category:Military acronyms
Category:Military alliances
Category:NATO *
Category:Soviet external politics
ar:ØÙ„Ù? شمال الأطلسي
an:OTAN
ast:OTAN
bs:NATO
br:Aozadur Feur-emglev Norzh-Atlantel
bg:Ð?Ð?ТО
ca:OTAN
cs:Severoatlantická aliance
cy:Sefydliad Cytundeb Gogledd yr Iwerydd
da:NATO
de:NATO
et:NATO
el:Î?ΑΤΟ
es:Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Norte
eo:NATO
eu:Ipar Atlantiarreko Itunaren Erakundea
fr:Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord
gl:OTAN
ko:�대서양 조약 기구
hi:नैटो
hr:NATO
io:NATO
id:NATO
ia:OTAN
is:Atlantshafsbandalagið
it:NATO
he:× ×?ט"ו
ka:ნ�ტ� (�რგ�ნიზ�ცი�)
ku:NATO
lv:NATO
lb:Organisatioun vum Nordatlantik-Traité
lt:NATO
lb:Organisatioun vum Nordatlantik-Traité
hu:NATO
mk:Ð?Ð?ТО
nl:Noord-Atlantische Verdragsorganisatie
ja:北大西洋�約機構
no:NATO
nn:NATO
pl:NATO
pt:Organização do Tratado do Atlântico Norte
ro:Organizaţia Tratatului Atlanticului de Nord
ru:Ð?Ð?ТО
se:NATO
sq:NATO
sk:Severoatlantická aliancia
sl:NATO
sr:Ð?Ð?ТО
sh:NATO
fi:NATO
sv:NATO
th:à¸à¸‡à¸„์à¸?ารสนธิสัà¸?à¸?าป้à¸à¸‡à¸?ันà¹?à¸à¸•à¹?ลนติà¸?เหนืà¸
vi:NATO
tr:Kuzey Atlantik Antlaşması Örgütü
uk:Ð?Ð?ТО
zh:北大西洋公约组织
see
NATO
{| class="toccolours" style="text-align: center;" width="100%"
! align="center" style="background:#ccccff" width="100%" |
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) ||
Image:Flag of NATO.svg 50px|Flag of NATO
|-
| align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="2" |
Military of Belgium Belgium |
Military of Bulgaria Bulgaria |
Canadian Forces Canada |
Military of the Czech Republic Czech Republic |
Military of Denmark Denmark |
Military of Estonia Estonia |
Military of France France |
Bundeswehr Germany |
Military of Greece Greece |
Military of Hungary Hungary |
Military of Iceland Iceland |
Military of Italy Italy |
Military of Latvia Latvia |
Military of Lithuania Lithuania |
Military of Luxembourg Luxembourg |
Military of the Netherlands The Netherlands |
Military of Norway Norway |
Polish Armed Forces Poland |
Military of Portugal Portugal |
Military of Romania Romania |
Military of Slovakia Slovakia |
Military of Slovenia Slovenia |
Military of Spain Spain |
Turkish Armed Forces Turkey |
British Armed Forces United Kingdom |
Military of the United States United States of America
|-
| align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="2" | Candidate Countries:
Military of Albania Albania |
Military of Croatia Croatia |
Military of Macedonia Macedonia
|}
de:Vorlage:Navigationsleiste NATO-Mitglieder
fr:Modèle:OTAN
it:Template:NATO
nl:Sjabloon:NAVO
pl:Szablon:NATO
tr:template:NATO
es:template:OTAN
ja:template:NATO
{{commonscat|North Atlantic Treaty Organization}}The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (
NATO) is an
international organisation for defence collaboration established by the
North Atlantic Treaty.
{{catmore}}
Category:International organizations
Category:Military alliances
an:Category:OTAN
ast:CategorÃa:OTAN
bg:КатегориÑ?:Ð?Ð?ТО
cs:Kategorie:NATO
de:Kategorie:NATO
es:CategorÃa:OTAN
fo:Bólkur:NATO
lt:Kategorija:NATO
nl:Categorie:NAVO
no:Kategori:NATO
nn:Kategori:NATO
pl:Kategoria:NATO
pt:Categoria:OTAN
ro:Categorie:NATO
ru:КатегориÑ?:Ð?Ð?ТО
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