What is NATO?
What is NATO?
The organization existed since the end of the second world war, however, the question has always remained who is in the group? And what exactly do they do?
If you ain’t too savvy with the term NATO, well NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization and it was established immediately after world war II. The origins of the organization trace back to March 1947, when France and Britain signed the ‘Treaty of Dunkirk’ to create an alliance if Germany of the Soviet attack.
With time this treaty expanded, eventually encompassing several other countries in the North Atlantic Treaty – also known as Washington Treaty which was signed in April 1949.
What is the purpose of NATO?
The purpose of the organization has solely focused on the security of its member states. And this implies that if a member state is threatened by an external country, a mutual defense will be given in response. NATO has intervened in conflicts such as that seen in Libya, Kosovo, etc.
Which countries are members of NATO?
There are currently 30 member states of NATO, with 3 aspiring states.
Here are the 30 members of NATO: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States.
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The three countries that are currently classed as aspiring members are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Ukraine. NATO Currently allows any country to join its ranks, with the group saying that they have an open-door policy. The alliance headquarters is based in Brussels, Belgium also three of the NATO members are Nuclear weapons states France, The United Kingdom, and the United States. Article five of NATO’s treaty states that if there is an attack on one of the member states it shall be considered an attack against all members.