NATO

1. NATO Still fit for purpose?

2. Original Aims NATO was founded in 1949 with the expressed aim of defending western Europe against a military invasion by the Soviet Union. It’s aims can be summed up in the immediate post-war phrase “keep the Russians out, the Americans in and the Germans down.” When West Germany joined NATO in 1955, the Soviet Union formed its own “Warsaw Pact”.

3. The Cold War The 1980s was a period which saw several international flashpoints between the USA, led by Ronald Reagan, and the Soviet Union. The arms race and theory of “mutually assured destruction” provoked a growth of peace movements across Europe. The collapse of the Soviet Union, and with it the Warsaw Pact, meant a strategic re-evaluation of NATO's purpose, nature and tasks.

4. 9/11 If Soviet style communism was no longer the enemy, a new danger emerged in the aftermath of 9/11: the global terrorism of al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The 9/11 attacks invoked Article 5 of NATO’s Charter which states that any attack on a member state will be considered an attack against the entire group of members. Russian leader Vladimir Putin called September 11 a "turning point" in Russia's relations with the USA and NATO. Counter terrorism became NATO’s new focus.

5. Counter terrorism Combating illegal immigration Drug trafficking and other international crime Maintaining the security of NATO members NATO’s focus today Since 9/11, NATO member countries have become increasingly security conscious. They are keen to be not just more vigilant in who enters their countries but to be pro-active in making sure people smugglers, a possible source of terrorist activity, are deterred from entering member states. NATO’s Operation Active Endeavour began in 2001 to counter terrorist activity in the Mediterranean. It involves monitoring shipping and providing escorts for non-military vessels.

6. The Emerging Security Challenges Division NATO’s new Emerging Security Challenges Division (ESCD) started its work in August 2010. It will be focusing on terrorism, the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, cyber defence, and energy security. NATO Secretary General Anders FoghRasmussen meets David Cameron.

7. Ongoing Issues: Iraq While some of the nations which are part of the coalition forces in Iraq are NATO members, Iraq is not a NATO “campaign”. NATO is adamant that its role in Iraq is to support the Iraqi government“. In August 2004, in response to a request by the Iraqi Interim Government, NATO established a Training Implementation Mission in Iraq. NATO is involved in training, equipping, and technical assistance - not combat. The aim of the Mission is to help Iraq build the capability of its Government to address the security needs of the Iraqi people. “

8. On going Issues: Afghanistan In August 2003, NATO commenced its first mission ever outside Europe when it assumed control over International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. This was confirmation of NATO’s new role: that of counter-terrorism. NATO now emphasises the need for better intelligence, and more unmanned aircraft that can loiter and spy and attack. NATO will build special units that can track and disable nuclear weapons. These are all capabilities, aimed at fighting an enemy like al-Qaeda, one with no formal structure, in the information age.

9. Successes? Nation-building is the key to NATO success in Afghanistan. Schools have been built. Electricity and clean water have been provided. Roads have been built; an infrastucture has been created. The Taliban have been removed from power and Afghanistan has it’s own elected Government. Democracy, though, is fragile. Afghanistan is listed by Transparency International as one of the most corrupt Governments in the world. Afghan Election 2009

10. Taliban Tactics The Taliban knows it cannot defeat ISAF in an all out war. It relies on suicide bombers and explosive devices. The Taliban’s aim is to inflict enough casualties to demoralise NATO forces and for public opinion in NATO countries to demand withdrawal. Much of the violence takes place in the south east, and to the north east, near the Pakistan border. Pakistan, a nuclear state dominated by its armed forces, offers sanctuary to the Taliban leadership, and is now home to al-Qaeda and its training camps.

11. 2010 Still No End in Sight There have been almost 2,000 NATO casualties in Afghanistan since 2001. The Taliban have proved to be a stubborn enemy. Civilian deaths incurred by NATO during the campaign, a general distrust of the West by the Afghani people and Taliban propaganda have made the war in Afghanistan a long and hard one. Many are now questioning if the war is winnable and if the sacrifices made by so many will be in vain. US casualties on rise in Afghan war Afghan civilian deaths help Taliban

12. Viewpoints “Afghanistan is the worst place to conduct a war. Get in fast and get out fast. If the aim is to pacify Afghanistan, you’ll have to kill every man, woman and child”. Veteran of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan “Pulling out would hand a huge propaganda victory to Islamic extremists everywhere” Sir Sherrard Cowper-Coles, British Ambassador in Kabul “If NATO withdrew from Afghanistan, the country would become a haven for terrorists again. It would be wrong to think that the threat to Western society will disappear if NATO withdraws” British Army Officer “The politicians who lied about the reasons for war in Iraq have also misled us about the war in Afghanistan. It has nothing to do with bringing democracy to the people of that country but everything to do with the neo-conservative strategy of endless war and terror” Stop the War Coalition

13. On Going Issues: Relations with Russia “The USA is a wolf which knows who to eat and is not about to listen to anyone, it seems”. Vladimir Putin Former Russian President Vladimir Putin “enjoyed” a love-hate relationship with the USA during the Bush years.

14. Successful Negotiations In August 2008, Poland and the United States signed a preliminary deal to place part of a long-range missile defence shield in Poland that would be linked to air-defence radar in the Czech Republic Putin claimed that such a deployment could lead to a new arms race and could enhance the likelihood of mutual destruction. Russia threatened a nuclear attack on Poland. On 17 September 2009, US President Barack Obama announced that the deployment of the defence system was not to go forward, and that a defence against short- and medium-range missiles using AEGIS warships would be deployed instead. Russian President Dimitri Medvedev responded by cancelling a planned Russian surface to surface missile deployment in Kaliningrad.

15. Relations thaw. For now! In April 2010 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the nuclear arms reduction treaty START with President Obama in Prague signalling a much more harmonious relationship. In May 2010, NATO troops participated in Moscow’s annual May Day parade for the first time. In August 2010, NATO announced that it was joining with Russia in a new counter-piracy initiative in the Gulf of Aden. US-Russia relations warm for Victory Day

16. NATO’s new rival? The SCO was formed in 1996 and now has six full members: China, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrsyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan. These countries account for 60% of the land mass of Eurasia and its population is a third of the world’s. With observer states included, the SCO accounts for half of the human race. While the SCO does not declare itself as hostile to NATO, the fact that it refused entry to the USA underlines the fact that the SCO is an attempt by the eastern powers, with their vast energy reserves, to counter-balance, at the very least, NATO’s influence. Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO)

17. Bucharest 2008 expands NATO membership In 2008, NATO invited Albania, Romanina, Georgia and Ukraine to join. In April 2009, Albania and Romania joined, giving NATO 28 member states. BothGeorgia and Ukraine are concerned that NATO membership may harm relations with Russia and have not joined. Ukraine decides not to apply for NATO membership