NATO was organized in 1949 as a military alliance between several countries. The first members of the alliance included countries from Central and Western Europe, Canada, and the United States. The crux of the agreement stated that “an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.”
The main purpose of NATO was to discourage the communist movement and neutralize any threat of Soviet invasion. According to James Snyder, an American civilian at NATO, the alliance is the reason we call it the Cold War. He asserts that NATO successfully dissuaded Russia from taking any military action or activating its missiles, such as those which were stationed in Cuba.
Owing to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, NATO’s initiative was activated for the first time. NATO’s 28 members stood behind the United States in mourning the loss of lives and in taking action against the perpetrators. Currently, NATO sustains 80,000 troops and other personnel in three continents. One point Mr. Snyder emphasized during this presentation is that “Americans are the not the only ones in Afghanistan.” Troops and personnel serving to promote stability in Afghanistan are from 42 countries. He also stated that NATO and the United States forces that primarily support it are not there establish democracy. There are there to remove threats and establish political and economic security. As he said, “You cannot have anything first except security.”
Since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, NATO’s mission has changed significantly. Since then it has been striving to re-define its role, and as apparent, it has focused its efforts on promoting security in the Middle East. For more information about NATO and efforts in Afghanistan see
The Afghan Star (video)
The War Briefing (video)
Return of the Taliban (video)
A Soldier's Dilemma in Afghanistan (video)
Talking to the Taliban (video)
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