The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed in 1949 as a coalition of anti-communist nations to check and counter Soviet aggression in the Cold War that followed the end of World War II. NATO was led by the United States, the only remaining Western superpower. The stated goal of NATO was the defense of all nations within the alliance.
“An attack on one is an attack on all”, sums up the purpose of NATO. To counter NATO, the Soviet Union formed its own alliance called The Warsaw Pact, which was a coalition of nations in Eastern Europe, most of which were under the direct control of the Soviet Union.
NATO during the Cold War
During the Cold War, NATO’s operations focused primarily in the region of Western Europe, since by all accounts, that would be where any war with the Soviet Union would take place. The West hoped that the threat of a unified response by the member nations of NATO (primarily that of the United States), would deter the Warsaw pact from making any overtly aggressive moves against them.
This strategy, combined with the threat of “Mutually Assured Destruction” or MAD by nuclear war was successful at preventing the Cold War from turning into World War III. However, with the fall of the Soviet Union and the dismantling of the Warsaw Pact in 1991, the future of NATO was in doubt.
NATO in the Post Cold War World
Many speculated that the end of the Cold War would be the end for the need of NATO. With the threat of a Soviet invasion gone many felt that NATO’s purpose for existing was now fulfilled. However, instead of dismantling, NATO evolved into a “political alliance” of sorts adding many former USSR and Warsaw Pact nations to its membership.
These moves have served to anger the former head of the Warsaw Pact, Russia. In recent years, however, the weakness of NATO has come to light with the war in Afghanistan and the Russian invasion of Georgia. In Afghanistan, NATO members are unwilling to provide aggressive support in America’s Operation Enduring Freedom campaign. Also, despite Georgia’s bid to become a member of NATO, the alliance was powerless to stop a Russian led invasion and occupation of much of the country back in August of 2008.
Many NATO nations are disgruntled by what they feel is U.S. dominance over the organization. The U.S., on the other hand, has had significant trouble in getting its NATO allies to bear a greater burden in the war in Afghanistan leading many to question its purpose. Today, the future of NATO is once again in doubt. It remains to be seen if the organization will last into the foreseeable future.
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