NATO: Past, Present & Future

The recent and more aggressive push by President George W. Bush and his administration to prepare for war against Iraq has caused a rift between some alliance nations. Efforts by the United States and some other NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) nations to begin planning for military assistance to Turkey in the event of war with Iraq has brought formal protest by some of its members.

On Monday, February 10, 2003, France and Germany blocked moves to grant military aid to Turkey on grounds that to accept it would mean NATO had accepted the inevitability of war with Iraq, which continues to be debated by diplomats and protested by millions of citizens worldwide. The aid package would include early warning aircraft, missile defenses and anti-biochemical units. Turkey - NATO's only Muslim nation - then invoked a treaty clause, which requires the alliance to consult if any member feels its security threatened.

Although France, Germany and, now Belgium, say they don't object to ensuring Turkey's safety, they do believe the aid would hamper the search for a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis. They further argue that while the U.S. alone may choose to engage in war with Iraq, the NATO alliance may prefer to stand clear of the conflict. The United States, however, has termed the three countries' veto incompatible with the central tenet of NATO solidarity: an attack on one is an attack on all.

NATO was initially formed in 1949 soon after World War II and prompted by the rise and spread of a communist Soviet Union. The alliance was basically created to ensure peace and security worldwide, essentially integrating European and North American diplomatic and military forces. The recent objections by the three alliance nations have plunged NATO into its deepest crisis since the end of the Cold War.

As member nations debate the issue during an emergency session in Brussels this week, you'll learn about NATO's history and its current role in the global community to understand how the alliance may change in the future and why.

An Alliance is Born

By pooling the resources, capabilities and forces of many nations, the NATO alliance can keep peace and security more efficiently, effectively and in more places than one nation can alone. This idea, with Europe recovering from World War II and the rising power of a communist Soviet Union, is why NATO was created.

Begin your lesson at the NATO website, and click the NATO Xperience Online Version link in the left-hand navigation menu to open the really cool Flash overview.

Explore the topics titled, Why NATO?, What is NATO?, How does NATO work?, and NATO Operations. Within each topic, browse the different sections through their text, photo galleries, audio clips and videos.

What are the alliance's mission and goals? How many countries are currently members? What is NATO's strategy and how do they define "security"? Where and in what ways have member nations worked together and why?

Next, peruse the organization's timeline at the website's NATO Update section. Start at the beginning at 1945 and browse through the years to the present. You can also review NATO History summarized by decade -- from the 1950s through the 1980s -- at The Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.

Which countries wanted to create this alliance and why? What was the Warsaw Pact and how did it relate to NATO? In what ways did the alliance help nations work with each other to resolve conflicts? How did issues, such as poverty or oppressive leadership, influence NATO decision-making and actions? How has NATO changed over time?

NATO Today

Many nations have used their NATO membership to obtain assistance and support in challenging times. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, for example, the United States invoked Article 5 of the treaty, its mutual defense clause, meaning that an attack on one was an attack on all. This is just one of the treaty's many powerful clauses that makes the alliance a desirable one to join. And, certainly, the more stable and loyal members NATO can pull in, then the stronger the alliance can be to carry out its mission.

As you likely noticed, NATO has grown from its original 12 members. The organization continues to Enlarge the Alliance. What is the "open door" policy? Also, review the Membership Action Plan and read about the four steps potential members have to take at The Road to NATO Membership section. Why do you think this process is important?

Make sure to also check out NATO's New Capabilities and New Relationships. How do these fit into NATO's evolving global presence? Do you think NATO will change much in the future? If so, in what ways? If not, then why not?