North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

• Context (IE): The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) recently completed its 75 years of formation.

History

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is a political and military alliance created in the aftermath of World War II by 12 countries from Europe and North America. It was founded on April 4, 1949.
• 12 founding members: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States.
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium, while the Allied Command Operations headquarters is near Mons, Belgium.
• It was formed by the signing of the Washington Treaty, which is based on Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, “which reaffirms the right of individual or collective defence.”
  • The principle of collective defence (an attack against one Ally is an attack against all) is enshrined in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which commits NATO members to mutual defence.

Member States

• Open door policy (Article 10): All European countries are eligible to join NATO.
• Since 1949, the  alliance membership has increased from 12 to 31 countries through nine rounds of enlargement.
• Finland became the latest country to join the Alliance in 2023.
• NATO makes its decisions by consensus. Hence, if a new country wants to join NATO, it must be supported by all other members. Any of its member countries can veto a new member.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Sweden and Ukraine have declared their aspirations to join the alliance.

Process of joining

• Accession talks: To obtain formal confirmation from the invitees.
• Letters of intent: They are sent to NATO along with the timeline of reforms.
• Accession protocols are signed and ratified by NATO countries with the consensus of all members.
• Accession to the North Atlantic Treaty.
• Submission of instruments of accession to the US State Department makes invitees NATO members.

Functioning

• North Atlantic Council is the principal political decision-making body.
• Military Command Structure: It includes Strategic Commands (e.g., Allied Command Operations) responsible for operational planning and execution, as well as Regional Commands and Force Headquarters.
• Integrated Military Forces: NATO maintains integrated military forces, allowing member countries to contribute personnel and assets to collective defence efforts under NATO command.
• Funding: Every NATO country contributes to the costs of running the Alliance, based on a cost-share formula derived from Gross National Income.

NATO in Post-Cold War Era

• During the Cold War, the alliance operated as a check on the threat posed by the Soviet Union (USSR).
• When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, questions were raised about NATO’s relevance and future.
• The alliance remained in place after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact as it succeeded in refashioning from collective defence to collective security.
• It has been a mutually beneficial arrangement, offering security to Europe at a low price.
• For the U.S., NATO has been an ideal vehicle for power projection worldwide.
• NATO has been involved in military operations in the Balkans, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa.
• During the Cold War, the alliance operated as a check on the threat posed by the Soviet Union (USSR).
• The alliance remained in place after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact.
• Direct Military interventions are not a must, dependent as individual member deems fit.
• The only time the article has been invoked so far was following the 9/11 attacks on the US.
• In the aftermath of it, NATO forces were sent to Afghanistan and deployed for nearly 20 years.

Key achievements of NATO

• Ensuring ‘cold’ war: The alliance played a major role in maintaining the tense peace of the Cold War and ensuring the war remained ‘cold’.
• Post cold war: With the end of the war, it established the North Atlantic Cooperation Council and, in 1997, it encouraged bilateral discussion between the United States and Russia through the Founding Act.
• Stabilized Western Europe whose states had often been bitter rivals in the past.
• Ukraine War: The alliance publicly denounced Russian actions in Ukraine and NATO member countries and allies have provided substantial aid to Ukraine.
• Responding to global challenges: It has also played a role in addressing global challenges such as terrorism and cyber threats.
  • E.g. Operation Sea Guardian by NATO contributes to maintenance of a safe and secure maritime environment in the Mediterranean Sea.
• Disaster relief operations: In response to the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye in February 2023, it set up temporary shelters and coordinated an air-bridge to deliver vital supplies from Allies and partners.

Contemporary challenges faced

• Disagreements on military spending: US supports a hike in spending while many members are not in support. Only 11 out of the 30 members (2014) spent over the agreed limit of 2 per cent of their GDP.
• Membership delay: Despite a liberal “open door” policy for membership, all members must ratify a new applicant’s entry. Yet individual members stall new entries, for example, Sweden and Finland case.
• Intra-block tensions: The French President commented on a lack of strategic coordination between European allies and the United States and Turkey.
• Ukraine-Russia war funding: The plan to create a five-year, $107 billion fund for Ukraine drew mixed reactions from members.
• Challenges in adapting to new threats posed by emerging technologies, innovation, and their applications.

Relevance in today’s world

• Expanded membership: Maximum in history (32 members) Making it bigger and stronger. Finland (2023) and Sweden (2024), who had historically neutral foreign policy, are now NATO members.
• Russia-Ukraine war: Insecurities of war led to a more united NATO.
• Relations with Russia have now “slipped to the level of direct confrontation“.
• Institutional adaptation: It has played a role in “containing and controlling militarised conflicts in Central and Eastern Europe” by “actively promoting stability within the former Soviet bloc”.
• Rise of China: A news relevance to counter it not only economically but ideologically and strategically.

NATO Plus

• It is a grouping of NATO and five countries — Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, and South Korea. The group works toward boosting global defence cooperation.

Advantages for India if it joins the NATO Plus

• India would gain access to seamless intelligence sharing between these countries.
• India would get access to the latest military technology without much of a time lag.
• It would further strengthen India’s defence partnership with the United States.