NATO
NATO is the acronym for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, established in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949 by the USA, Canada, UK, France, and other west European countries. This was the culmination of diplomatic efforts by those, including the British government, who saw a defence alliance as vital to safeguard western Europe against possible threats by the USSR. The signing of the Brussels treaty a year later was part of a strategy to convince US public opinion that American involvement was desirable. The treaty's anti-communist orientation was made clear in its preamble, which declared the parties ‘determined to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilization of their peoples, founded on principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law’. The signatories committed themselves to taking ‘necessary action’ to aid any member facing attack. The Korean War induced the formation of an integrated military command for NATO, which apart from occasional disputes over nuclear deterrence strategies and ‘out of area’ problems functioned well until the end of the Cold War. Britain however sought additional security through the possession of an independent nuclear deterrent and the cultivation of a ‘Special Relationship’ with the USA. Both its length of existence and its role in seeing off the Soviet challenge give NATO a claim to be among the most successful alliances in history.
Christopher N. Lanigan
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NATO