the whole, after a while. Indeed, one gets the sense
drafting a unique security arrangement under
present circumstances might be for the best...
Below:
French:
North Atlantic Treaty Organization[a] The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is the politico-military organization set up by the signatory countries of the North Atlantic Treaty in order to fulfill their collective defense and security obligations. It is most often referred to by its acronym NATO[b], which is pronounced [o.tã] Listen(i) (in English NATO), but it is also frequently referred to as the Atlantic Alliance or the North Atlantic Alliance, more rarely the Euro-Atlantic Alliance or the Transatlantic Alliance, or sometimes, even more briefly, the Alliance.
The text of this treaty, signed on 4 April 1949, established the North Atlantic Council (NAC), and set up a defensive military alliance against any armed attack against any of its members in Europe, in North America or in the North Atlantic region north of the Tropic of Cancer.
The shock caused by the outbreak of the Korean War led the NAC to decide at the end of 1950 to create a permanent integrated military organisation, which still constitutes the hallmark of NATO today and provides it with military capabilities that no other defence alliance possesses. Under the term NATO, the prevailing practice has been to encompass the alliance legally concluded by the signatory countries of the North Atlantic Treaty, and the civil and military organisation set up to make its objectives operational. France, however, was an exception when it decided in 1966, while remaining a member of the Atlantic Alliance, to leave the integrated military organisation, of which it became a full member again in 2009.
The Alliance was created in the general context of the early Cold War and more specifically during the Soviet blockade of Berlin. According to the explanatory memorandum, its initial purpose was to ensure the security of Western Europe by establishing a strong coupling with the United States, the only way in the eyes of Europeans after the Second World War to protect themselves against any expansionist attempt by the Soviet Union. In the words of its first Secretary General, Lord Ismay, NATO's role is to "keep the Russians out, the Americans in and the Germans under tutelage"[d]. NATO is the core of the Western bloc. From its creation to 1991, NATO's designated adversary was the USSR, which itself formed the Warsaw Pact in 1955 following the FRG's accession to NATO and its rearmament. NATO is therefore organizing itself to face this threat by defining strategic concepts concerning, in particular, issues relating to nuclear weapons, by coordinated planning among all its members of their military assets, and by integrated commands by geographical area, of which SHAPE is by far the most important.
Since the dissolution of the USSR and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the Atlantic Alliance has endured despite the disappearance of its main original raison d'être. It has expanded to include former Eastern Bloc countries and former republics of the Soviet Union. It has taken into account new crises and threats such as nationalist conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, the rise of international terrorism or the fight against the proliferation of "weapons of mass destruction", as a result of which NATO has thoroughly reviewed its strategic concept and its civil and military organisation on several occasions. It has developed a systematic policy of partnerships in Europe and around the world, under which the Allies have established a Partnership for Peace (PfP) with Russia, the countries in its area of influence and the neutral countries of Western Europe since 1994. In 2002, NATO also established a special relationship with the EU, the European Security and Defence Identity (ESDI), which allows the latter to benefit from NATO resources for certain operations within the framework of its Common Security and Defence Policy.
Criticised by Donald Trump during his presidency of the United States (2017-2021) and by Emmanuel Macron during his first term as President of the French Republic (2017-2022), NATO's relevance has been revealed again since 2022 due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While avoiding direct confrontation with Russia, the Alliance supports Ukraine diplomatically, materially through the delivery of increasingly high-performance weapons, and in terms of intelligence. In response to the invasion, Finland and Sweden joined the Joint Military Defence Body, in April 2023 and March 2024 respectively, ending their historical neutrality.
NATO's headquarters, initially located in London and then in Paris (in the premises now occupied by the University of Paris-Dauphine - PSL), has been located since 1966 in the Brussels district of Haren in Belgium, and its main military command, SHAPE, initially located in France in Louveciennes, is now located in Maisières, also in Belgium.
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English:
20th century
NATO has its roots in the Atlantic Charter, a 1941 agreement between the United States and United Kingdom. The Charter laid out a framework for international cooperation without territorial expansion after World War II. On 4 March 1947, the Treaty of Dunkirk was signed by France and the United Kingdom during the aftermath of World War II and the start of the Cold War as a Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance in the event of possible attacks by Germany. In March 1948, this alliance was expanded in the Treaty of Brussels to include the Benelux countries, forming the Brussels Treaty Organization, commonly known as the Western Union.Talks for a wider military alliance, which could include North America, also began that month in the United States, where their foreign policy under the Truman Doctrine set out in 1947 promoted international solidarity against actions they saw as communist aggression, such as the February 1948 coup d'état in Czechoslovakia. These talks resulted in the signature of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949 by the member states of the Western Union plus the United States, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. Canadian diplomat Lester B. Pearson was a key author and drafter of the treaty.
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German:
NATO is based on the North Atlantic Treaty under Article 51 of the UN Charter. In its preamble, the members profess peace, democracy, freedom and the rule of law. According to the German Federal Ministry of Defence, NATO sees itself as a "community of values of free democratic states". The core of the treaty is the mutual assistance clause in Article 5, which guarantees mutual military support in the event of an alliance.
The North Atlantic Treaty was concluded on 4 April 1949 as part of the United States' policy of containment against the Soviet Union. Initially limited to 20 years, it was extended indefinitely in 1969 due to the ongoing Cold War.
NATO headquarters were initially located in London and from 1952 in Paris. Due to France's withdrawal from the military integration of the alliance, the headquarters were moved to Brussels in 1967. The North Atlantic Council, NATO's main organ, and its immediate subordinate institutions: the International Staff (IS) and the International Military Staff (IMS) are based there. The two most important military headquarters are the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE, officially Allied Command Operations) in Mons, Belgium, and the Allied Command Transformation (ACT) in Norfolk, USA.
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Russian:
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO; Fr. The Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord (OTAN) is a military-political bloc that unites most European countries (including Turkey), the United States of America and Canada. It was founded on April 4, 1949 in the United States with the aim of protecting Europe from the possible threat of Soviet expansion. At that time, 12 countries became NATO member states: the United States, Canada, Iceland, Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark, Italy and Portugal. It is a "transatlantic forum" for Allied countries to consult on any issues affecting the vital interests of its members, including developments that could jeopardize their security. One of NATO's stated goals is to deter or defend against aggression against the territory of any NATO member state.
Currently, NATO has 32 members. The last member state to join NATO was Sweden on March 7, 2024. NATO currently recognizes Bosnia and Herzegovina, which received the Membership Action Plan in December 2018, Georgia and Ukraine as candidates for membership in the alliance. Also, 19 other states participate in NATO's Partnership for Peace program, and another 15 countries participate in institutionalized dialogue programs. The total military spending of all NATO members in 2020 amounted to more than 57% of the global total[7]. Members agreed that their goal is to achieve or maintain a defense spending target of at least 2% of their GDP by 2024.
History
Cm. See also: NATO enlargement
According to NATO Secretary General (2009–2014) Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the organization was created to protect Europe from Soviet invasion:
Sixty-five years ago this month, NATO was created in a dangerous world. As the shadow of the Soviet Union loomed over Europe, 12 countries on both sides of the Atlantic came together to defend their security and core values: freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
Original text
In March 1948, the Brussels Pact was concluded between Belgium, Great Britain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and France, which later formed the basis of the "Western European Union" (WEU). It is considered to be the beginning of the formation of the North Atlantic Alliance. At the same time, secret negotiations were held between the United States, Canada and Great Britain on the creation of an alliance based on their civilizational unity. Negotiations between European countries and the United States and Canada on the creation of a single union soon followed.
All these negotiations ended with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on April 4, 1949 by representatives of twelve countries (Belgium, Great Britain, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United States, France). The treaty created a system of collective security. All parties pledged to collectively defend any party to the treaty that would be attacked. The agreement between the countries finally entered into force on August 24, 1949 after its ratification.
In fact, since its founding, NATO has been focused on countering the USSR and, later, also the member states of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact, concluded in 1955.
Greece and Turkey joined NATO in 1952 ("First NATO Enlargement"). West Germany became a member of NATO in 1955 (the "Second Enlargement of NATO").
In 1954, the USSR applied to join NATO, which was rejected.
In 1966, in addition to NATO's supreme body, the NATO Council, the Defense Planning Committee was established, consisting of the defense ministers of the bloc's member countries and meeting twice a year.
In 1966, France withdrew from the NATO military organization, remaining a member of the political structure. Such a step was the implementation of the policy of French President Charles de Gaulle to return France to the status of a great power, which included the resolution of colonial problems, the creation of its own nuclear weapons, and getting rid of dependence on the United States in military, economic and financial terms. De Gaulle demanded a reorganization of NATO in order to limit American dominance in it and strengthen the French position, but these plans were rejected by the United States and Great Britain. In response, de Gaulle called France's position in NATO as a loss of the country's political and military sovereignty, and in order to restore it and pursue an independent foreign policy, he announced the country's withdrawal from the NATO military organization. In this regard, NATO headquarters had to be moved from Paris to Brussels, and then all US military bases had to be withdrawn from French territory. Despite this, France took an active part in the NATO military operation against Yugoslavia in 1999. In 2009, it returned to all NATO structures.
Greece withdrew in 1974 and rejoined NATO in 1981.
In 1982, Spain joined NATO ("Third NATO Enlargement"). With the unification of Germany, the territory of the alliance included the territory of the former GDR (now part of the Federal Republic of Germany). After the end of the Cold War, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 (NATO's Fourth Enlargement), and in 2004, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia (NATO's Fifth Enlargement).
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which requires member states to come to the aid of any member state under armed attack, was invoked for the first and only time in 2001 in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States.
In 2009, Croatia and Albania joined NATO (NATO's Sixth Enlargement). In 2017, Montenegro joined NATO ("Seventh NATO Enlargement"). In 2020, North Macedonia ("Eighth NATO Enlargement"). And in 2023 - Finland ("Ninth NATO Enlargement").
Until the end of the Cold War, NATO forces did not officially participate in any military operation.
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, NATO troops took part in the following conflicts:
wars on the territory of the former Yugoslavia:
Bosnia and Herzegovina – Operation Deliberate Force (1995);
Kosovo - Operation Allied Force (1999).
Afghanistan:
ISAF (2001—2014);
Operation Resolute Support (2014–2021).
Libya - Operation Unified Defender (2011).
These operations were supported by United Nations Security Council mandates, with the exception of Operation Allied Force.
On January 3, 2018, the organization approved as its official anthem a musical composition for 20 instruments without words, composed in 1989 by the conductor of the Luxembourg Military Orchestra André Reichling.
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Ukrainian (українська мова):
Beginning. North Atlantic Treaty
Read more: North Atlantic Treaty
Implementation of the Treaty by U.S. President Harry Truman on August 24, 1949
The signing of the North Atlantic Treaty and the creation of the Alliance are directly related to the events that took place in the world after the Second World War. The threat of post-war revanchism in Germany, and later the aggressive policy of the USSR, prompted European countries and the United States to look for a new architecture of European security. The construction of the Iron Curtain, the coup in Czechoslovakia in February 1948, the blockade by the Soviet Union in the spring of the same year of the occupation zones of Berlin required an appropriate response.
The beginning of the process of creating a defense alliance of Western countries can be considered a meeting in Brussels on March 4, 1948 of representatives of Belgium, Great Britain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and France, at which the Anglo-French proposal to develop a treaty on mutual assistance was discussed. On March 17, 1948, the Treaty of Brussels was signed. The purpose of the Brussels Treaty was to jointly counteract possible future aggression by Germany, as well as military cooperation as a response to possible Soviet aggression.
In the event of foreign aggression, according to the treaty, relatively small allied military forces had to act jointly. However, already at the first meetings of the heads of the Allied Ministries of Defense, at which the available military resources of the member states of the alliance were assessed, they came to the conclusion that they were insufficient and the need to receive assistance, in particular from the United States, — there was an idea to expand the Western defense alliance at the expense of the United States and Canada and create a common defense system in the Euro-Atlantic area. In March-April 1948, the Foreign Ministers of France Georges Bidault and Great Britain Ernst Bevin addressed the White House with relevant proposals. The concept received public publicity during a speech in the Parliament of Canada by the Minister of Foreign Affairs (later the Prime Minister) of this country, Louis Saint Laurent, on April 28, 1948. The next most important step towards the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty was the adoption of a resolution by the US Senate on June 11, 1948, which allowed the government to conclude treaties of alliance with other states outside the American continent in peacetime. The embodiment of the idea of creating a common defense system has moved into the practical plane.
In November 1948, the draft Atlantic Pact developed by the Council of the Western European Union was sent to Washington. The agreed draft was prepared in December of the same year. In the same period, the idea arose to involve a number of states in Northern and Southern Europe in the planned project, where discussions on the creation of the Scandinavian and Mediterranean regional security pacts were taking place. The proposal did not find adequate support from the Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Finland), but Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Norway and Portugal expressed their desire to act as signatories of the treaty. The text of the future Treaty of Twelve States was made public on March 18, 1949. The preparation of the Treaty received sharp resistance from the USSR, whose government issued a note of protest on March 31, 1949, stating that the alliance being created had an aggressive orientation and contradicted both the UN Charter and the existing treaties between the Soviet Union and Great Britain, France and the United States. In response, the foreign ministers of the signatory countries, in a statement on April 2, rejected the accusations, emphasizing the purely defensive nature of the alliance and its compliance with the Charter of the United Nations.
The North Atlantic Treaty was signed on April 4, 1949 in Washington by representatives of the governments of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, the Portuguese Republic, the United States of America and the United States of America. After the completion of the process of ratification of the Treaty by all parties and the deposit of the relevant documents in the United States, it entered into force on August 24, 1949. NATO was born as a result of the inability of the UN at that time to ensure peace in the world, when the USSR vetoed many resolutions of the Security Council of this organization. To legitimize the new organization, they used paragraph 51 of the UN Charter, in Part 5 within the framework of legitimate collective protection.
The concept of the newly formed international organization was outlined by its first Secretary General, Lord Ismay, as "keeping the Russians at a distance, the Americans inside (Europe), and the Germans under surveillance".
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