NATO

Dan Lavigne

March 14, 2018

American Foreign Policy

Political Science

What is NATO's purpose in the 21st century?

The Second World War brought destruction to large swaths of Europe. In the wake of the rebuilding process there was a need for a collective security regime facilitated by the United States. The goal of the organization of NATO was to act as bloc against the increasing power of the Soviet Union, as they were a creeping influence in many European states mainly in Eastern and Central Europe. Additionally it was designed to stop other harmful ideologies such as fascism. The framework of NATO also provided a zero-starter for the Soviet Union especially under article V of the treaty, where an attack on one is an attack on all. Additional military forces were able to be used in a coordinated effort, through the integration process under Article III.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union there was a question of what the role of NATO should be. The organization has seen rapid expansion admitting countries in the former Eastern Bloc such as Poland, Czech Republic, and  Hungary in 1999; Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia, Estonia,and Lithuania in 2004; and Croatia and Albania in 2009. Additionally the organization has several partnership for peace agreements, such as with Armenia and Georgia.

The role of NATO should continue to be used as a security apparatus in world affairs. It was used during the Yugoslav Wars, as well as for operations in Afghanistan. The role of this organization should be for peacekeeping missions around the world, specifically in Africa. It already has the institutional memory and is fully equipped so disbanding it would not be ideal, as it is easier to reform and adapt rather than recreate the mechanisms at later times. Additionally, this can and has been used to implement United Nations operations around the world, including the fight against global terrorism.