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Syllabus Area Four:. NATO. Aims :. Why NATO was formed shortly after the end of the Second World War. The main aims of NATO today. Alliances. Key Term: Alliance A group of countries who work together to achieve a common aim. Countries have economic and military needs.
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Syllabus Area Four: NATO
Aims: • Why NATO was formed shortly after the end of the Second World War. • The main aims of NATO today.
Alliances Key Term: Alliance A group of countries who work together to achieve a common aim. • Countries have economic and military needs. • They will often co-operate with other countries in an Alliance to meet these needs. • Some countries are in several alliances e.g. UN, EU and NATO. Alliances often work together to achieve their aims.
How Did NATO Begin? After the end of World War Two, Europe was divided into two: • Western European countries who were CAPITALIST and supported by the USA. • Eastern European countries who were COMMUNIST and supported by the USSR.
Capitalism V Communism Capitalism When a country is democratic and respects peoples’ human rights. People have the freedom to live and work as they want. Communism When a country is run by a government that controls most areas of peoples’ lives. There is little freedom, no regular elections and people were not allowed to leave the country without government approval.
The Cold War • From 1945-1980s the USA and the USSR along with their allies opposed each other . • At times the world was very close to conflict breaking out between the two superpowers. • Both the USA and USSR built up their armed forces and nuclear weapons. • Even the Olympics became a competition between ‘East’ versus ‘West’
The Formation of NATO • In 1949 the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was formed. • The countries of Western Europe didn’t feel strong enough to stand up to the USSR. • The USA and Canada joined NATO because they did not want to see communism spread.
The End of the Cold War • In 1985 the USSR elected a new leader – Gorbachev. • He gave people in the USSR and other communist countries more freedom. • From the late 1980s a series of peaceful revolutions took place in Eastern Europe as communist governments were removed from power and democratic elections were held. A revolution is a complete change in the government of a country. • By 1992 the USSR had broken up into 15 countries and new countries were created in Eastern Europe e.g. Czech Republic, Croatia etc.
The Aims of NATO • NATO is a military alliance. • It’s main aim is to defend the peace and security of its members. • It is based on the policy of COLLECTIVE DEFENCE – an attack on one member is regarded as an attack upon them all.
NATO in the 21st Century Aims: • Identify the current members of NATO. • Identify reasons why countries want to join NATO.
Why Do Countries Want to Join NATO? • Defence needs of countries are met by cooperating with other countries. • If one country is attacked, its allies will join forces to protect it. • Pooling military resources such as soldiers and equipment can help smaller countries. • It acts as a deterrent to war. • NATO has kept the peace in Europe since the Second World War. • Since 9/11 NATO has a new role – in the fight against international terror. • In the 1990s, NATO ended two wars (in Bosnia and Kosovo) and prevented a third in Macedonia. • Countries that are members of NATO have a much better chance of joining the EU.
NATO Members On your map of Europe shade in the current members of NATO: Belgium Hungary Iceland Bulgaria Italy Latvia Canada Lithuania Luxembourg Czech Republic Netherlands Norway Denmark Poland Portugal Estonia Romania Slovakia France Slovenia Spain Germany Turkey UK Greece USA
The Changing Role of NATO Aims: • Identify the main threats to security. • Examine the role that NATO has played in other parts of the world.
Civil War in the Former Yugoslavia • After the Cold War ended Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia and Bosnia broke away from Yugoslavia (often known as Serbia) and became independent countries. • Conflict quickly broke out in this part of Europe which is known as the Balkans. • NATO and the UN worked together to try and end the conflict and protect civilians.
Action in Bosnia • Civil war broke out in Bosnia. The UN introduced a no fly zone to stop Serbia sending aircraft to bomb Bosnia. • NATO forces shot down Serbian aircraft who ignored the no fly zone. • The civil war in Bosnia ended in 1995 – NATO troops were sent in to supervise the peace agreement until the country was more stable. • In 2004 NATO ended its operation in Bosnia
Action in Kosovo • Kosovo wanted to break away from Serbia and be independent. • Serb forces were killing many innocent people in Kosovo. • In 1999 NATO launched airstrikes against Serbia to stop this ‘ethnic cleansing’. • The Serbs pulled out and NATO sent in forces (KFOR) to maintain peace in Kosovo. There are still 15,000 troops in the country.
The War On Terrorism • 11th September 2001 two aeroplanes hijacked by Al Qaeda terrorists hit the World Trade Centre in New York. • President Bush accused the leader of Al Qaeda of carrying out the attacks.
NATO condemned what had happened and stated an attack on one member (ie. USA) was an attack on them all. • The USA supported by the UK then took military action against Afghanistan – the country was controlled by the Taliban, a strict Muslim group who were supporting Al Qaeda and allowing terrorist training camps. • Since 9/11, NATO has had to modernise its activities to deal with threats from terrorism.
The Changing Role of NATO NATO’s role is changing due to new threats to security. The main concerns are: • Terrorism • Weapons of Mass Destruction • Cyber attacks against NATO countries • Energy security – protecting supplies of energy such as oil and gas.
The War on Terror Measures to combat terrorism have included: • Operation Active Endeavour - NATO warships have the power to board and seize suspicious ships in the Mediterranean Sea. • Monitor airspace with superior radar to detect terrorist attacks. • NATO troops have been involved in Afghanistan and Iraq
NATO’s Role in Afghanistan • After overthrowing the Taliban government, the USA was then keen to withdraw its troops and NATO forces were sent in to maintain peace and help the country establish a stable government. • However the Taliban still continues to have a hold on some parts of Afghanistan. • There are currently around 50,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan – 9,000 are British. They are part of a NATO led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
NATO’s Role in Afghanistan ISAF have had a wide role in Afghanistan, this includes: • Providing humanitarian help e.g. providing food, shelter. • Helping to build schools, hospitals, water supplies. • Training the Afghan army and police so that they can maintain law and order. • Anti-drugs operations to prevent production of heroin. NATO is trying to bring stability to Afghanistan and encourage the Afghan people to support the new democratic government.
The War in Iraq • By 2002 the USA was very concerned that the Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein was helping Al Qaeda and perhaps trying to develop nuclear weapons (WMD). • The USA and UK wanted the UN to authorise military action against Iraq if they refused to disarm but there was not enough support among UN members. • USA and UK decided to go it alone and on 20th March 2003 the Iraq war began.
The War in Iraq • Saddam Hussein was eventually captured, put on trial and executed. • US (2011) and British forces (2009) have now left Iraq. • NATO has not been involved in the war but has helped to train Iraqi security forces – 5,000 military personnel and 10,000 police so that there is law and order in the country. • NATO’s mission ended in Iraq in 2011
The NATO Response Force • The NRF is made up of land, air, sea and special forces. • It includes over 25,000 troops and can be deployed after five days notice. • Each member country commits forces for a 6 month period. • The NRF allows NATO to respond quickly to various crises in the world.
Pakistan • In October 2005 80,000 were killed by an earthquake and 3 million left without food and shelter. • After the October 2005 earthquake, the NRF airlifted supplies donated by NATO members to Pakistan to help with relief operations. • They also sent engineers and medical units. • NATO took on a more ‘humanitarian role’ BUT only for a short period of time.
NATO & Libya • From 1969-2011, Libya was ruled by Colonel Muammar Gadaffi. • Libya was effectively a dictatorship and peoples’ human rights were restricted e.g. freedom of speech. • Over the years, countries in the West have been concerned about Gadaffi’s links with other African leaders who were also dictators. • The 1988 Lockerbie bombing – when a Pan Am flight from London to the USA was blown up killing 270 people, was also blamed on Libya. • Abdelbaset Mohmed Ali al-Megrahi was convicted of the bombing in 2001 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Megrahi was released in 2009 on compassionate grounds.
Civil War in Libya • In February 2011 civil war broke out in Libya. Rebel forces wanted to get rid of Gadaffi’s government. • The UN was very concerned that innocent civilians were being killed simply for protesting against the government or because they were caught up in the fighting. • The UN authorised NATO to use all means necessary, apart from entering the country with ground forces to protect civilians.
Operation Unified Protector From March-Oct 2011 NATO was authorised to: • Implement a no-fly zone over Libya. • Implement an arms embargo – NATO ships, submarines and aircraft intercepted ships carrying arms to Libya. • Carry out air strikes against military targets. In October, Gadaffi was captured and killed and Libya was officially liberated (freed). A democratic government is now being put in place.
Nato Response Force - Pakistan Afghanistan ISAF NATO IN THE 21ST CENTURY Operation Unified Protector Libya Operation Active Endeavour Iraq