(From Seventh District Congressman Billy Long)We’ve heard a lot of talk about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the last few months. Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, new countries have considered applying for membership to the military alliance. But what exactly is NATO? How did it get formed, and why is there a new focus on countries joining?
NATO started in 1949 when Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States all came together to create an alliance against the Soviet Union.
It was all part of the containment strategy to prevent communism from spreading beyond the Iron Curtain into Western Europe. Four more countries joined before the Soviet Union dissolved and another 14 joined after the dissolution. The most recent member state to join was North Macedonia in 2020.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, NATO has taken on new prominence. Just a few weeks ago, NATO voted to allow Finland and Sweden to apply for membership. The two countries originally avoided joining for fear they might antagonize the Soviets. Finland has an 810 mile border with Russia and had even signed an agreement of friendship and cooperation with the Soviet Union in 1948.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, NATO has taken on new prominence. Just a few weeks ago, NATO voted to allow Finland and Sweden to apply for membership. The two countries originally avoided joining for fear they might antagonize the Soviets. Finland has an 810 mile border with Russia and had even signed an agreement of friendship and cooperation with the Soviet Union in 1948.
Sweden on the other hand has largely seen itself as a neutral arbiter on the international stage, and therefore did not want to join an alliance with either side of the Cold War.
The invasion of Ukraine has changed the calculations for both countries. Today in Finland, 75% of their citizens are in favor of NATO membership while 80% of Swedes are in favor. 6 months ago this looked a little different when only 20% of Finland's and Sweden's populations favored joining. What a difference an invasion makes. Russia’s unprovoked aggression against a peaceful neighbor has rattled the Citizenry of both Finland and Sweden.
One of the most important aspects of the NATO charter is Article 5. It says that an attack against one member state is an attack against all member states. This means that all NATO member states would respond militarily if one member state is attacked. Article 5 has only been invoked once, in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11terrorist attacks on the United States.
One of the most important aspects of the NATO charter is Article 5. It says that an attack against one member state is an attack against all member states. This means that all NATO member states would respond militarily if one member state is attacked. Article 5 has only been invoked once, in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11terrorist attacks on the United States.
Every NATO country joined with the U.S. in our invasion of Afghanistan and the War on Terror. With Russia invading Ukraine, security assurances have been top of mind for Finland and Sweden. They understandably want the security assistance that NATO membership brings in order to deter Russia from invading their countries.
All in all, the invasion of Ukraine has shown that NATO is not just a Cold War relic, but a military alliance still incredibly important in today’s world. What a difference an invasion makes and how much different the response would have been had Ukraine been a member of NATO. But like Dandy Don Meredith used to say on Monday Night Football "If, if's and but's were candy and nuts we'd all have a Merry Christmas."
No comments:
Post a Comment