The North Atlantic Alliance (NATO)
The end of the East-West confrontation in 1990 fundamentally changed the political landscape. A groundbreaking political and economic reform process was initiated in Central and Eastern Europe. Today NATO has 28 member countries.Through the process of European integration and NATO enlargement, it has been possible to extend the European area of stability.
On 4 April 1949, twelve states from Europe and North America signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, DC. Today, the following states are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (also known as the North Atlantic Alliance or NATO): Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States, and since their accession on 29 March 2004, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. At the beginning of April 2009, Albania and Croatia became the newest members of the Alliance.
Adapting NATO to meet new challenges
In reaction to the terrorist attacks on the United States of America on 11 September 2001, NATO invoked Article 5 of the Washington Treaty in October 2001. At the same time it took a series of concrete measures to support Alliance members and other states in the fight against terrorism, some of which are being carried out to this day.
Since then the NATO Council, as the central institution in the Euro-Atlantic security policy debate, has worked intensively on the further development of the Alliance. Through this continuous process, NATO prepares itself to face new security challenges and is able to fulfil its duty to protect the citizens of its member countries.
The Heads of State and Government confirmed this in the declaration they issued at the NATO summit on 4 April 2009. In honour of the 60th anniversary of the founding of NATO, France and Germany jointly hosted the summit for the first time. The leaders outlined NATO’s most important tasks once more:
protecting the territories of member states, also from terrorist threats,
the mission in Afghanistan,
supporting the stabilization process in the Balkans,
supporting disarmament and arms control efforts,
achieving close, trust-based cooperation with all partners – those who aspire to become members as well as all others.
Partnerships and Cooperation
Since its establishment in May 2002, the NATO-Russia Council has been a visible sign of how the Alliance and Russia can work together following the end of the Cold War, as well as a tried and trusted forum for concrete cooperation. Alongside the expansion of political dialogue, the activities of the working groups have been intensified in the fields of counter-terrorism, securing nuclear weapons, defence against tactical missiles, and the initiative for cooperative airspace management.
In March 2009 the NATO Foreign Ministers decided to resume the work of the NATO-Russia Council following a partial suspension of the cooperation in the wake of the Georgia crisis. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is actively pursuing the goal of further developing cooperation between Russia and NATO.
The further development and strengthening of NATO’s partnership with Ukraine, which is based on the 1997 NATO-Ukraine Charter on a Distinctive Partnership, is an essential element of European security. In December 2008 the NATO Foreign Ministers decided to further develop the NATO-Ukraine Commission, the central forum for dialogue between the two sides. The Commission is accompanying the reform process in Ukraine as it takes steps towards the Euro-Atlantic structures. To this end, Ukraine has adopted the Annual National Programme which defines goals regarding Ukraine’s path towards NATO. Today Ukraine participates in all NATO operations.
The NATO-Georgia Commission was established in September 2008. Like the NATO-Ukraine Commission, it is the central body in the pre accession process between Georgia and NATO. Georgia has also developed and adopted an annual programme to this end. The country participates in the NATO led Operation ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) in Afghanistan.
The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) currently has 50 members: 28 partner countries (Eastern European countries, including Russia and Ukraine, countries in the Southern Caucasus, Central Asia and in the Balkans, and neutral Western European countries such as Austria, Finland, Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland) as well as the 28 NATO member countries.
The Partnership for Peace (PfP) initiative, which was established by the Alliance in 1994 in response to the sea change occurring in the states of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and Central Asia, comprises a broad range of military and civilian cooperation options, as well as security policy consultations. The most important goals include transferring experience and stability and aligning partner countries’ armed forces with the Alliance (interoperability). Successful practical cooperation within the framework of the Partnership for Peace programme (through joint military exercises, participation in NATO-led peacekeeping missions, training, explosive ordnance disposal and the exchange of liaison officers) is supplemented by regular consultations on Euro-Atlantic security policy issues in the EAPC.
Since 1994, NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue has helped build confidence and enhance cooperation between the Alliance and the seven dialogue states (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia). The aim of the Mediterranean Dialogue is to create transparency, build confidence, conduct a political dialogue on issues of joint interest and intensify practical cooperation, for example in the fight against international terrorism. The Mediterranean Dialogue complements and strengthens other Mediterranean initiatives, such as those of the EU and the OSCE.
At the Istanbul Summit NATO also declared its willingness to forge a partnership with the Broader Middle East. The NATO members launched the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) for this purpose. This initiative, open to interested countries in the region, seeks to establish mutually beneficial relationships aimed at fostering security and stability. It complements other international initiatives (in particular those of the G8 and the EU). Within the ICI, NATO cooperates with Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Outside of the institutional formats as well, using flexible formats, the Alliance is now able to maintain an exchange with other countries which contribute to Alliance operations and missions politically, militarily and in other ways, or which express an interest in consultation meetings with NATO.
Military Operations
The most visible sign of NATO’s activity is its operations. The most important current NATO-led operations are:
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan since August 2003. At present 43 countries (including all NATO members) take part, with a total of around 81,000 troops. With approximately 3500 troops Germany is the third-largest troop contributor (status: end of November 2009).
Kosovo Force (KFOR) in Kosovo since 1999. At present 32 countries (including all NATO members apart from Albania, Iceland, Latvia and Spain) take part, with a total of around 12,300 troops. With approximately 2100 troops, Germany is the largest troop contributor (as of November 2009) and also provides the KFOR Commander, Lieutenant General Bentler.
Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR in the Mediterranean since October 2001. At present seven NATO nations and Ukraine take part, with a total of around 900 troops. Germany contributes either a frigate or a submarine to the operation on a rotating basis.
NATO Training Mission Iraq (NTM I) in Iraq since August 2004. Germany is fully active in NATO Staffs and bodies outside Iraq. A total of 175 troops from 13 NATO countries and Ukraine have been posted to the Ar Rustamiyah Training Centre near Baghdad.
Operation OCEAN SHIELD is continuing the activities NATO has undertaken so far to counter piracy off the Horn of Africa. NATO accompanies trading ships and, when necessary, rescues captured ships. Operation OCEAN SHIELD is working to develop local abilities to combat piracy within the framework of UN coordinated cooperation and in close coordination with all other actors in the region, especially the EU ATALANTA mission.
Last updated 26.11.2009
