NATO 
Its Rise & Expansion 
 

Introduction 

  The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created as a source of mutual western 
defence during the uncertainty of the Cold War. The aftermath of World War II led to a 
depletion of both the Axis Power and the Western Alliance’s economies. Out of these 
devastating wars came a necessity to form a new alliance; so that this type of conflict would 
never repeat itself. As such, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed on April 4th, 1949(see 
primary source at bottom of document), the joining the Western Union, United States, 
Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. With the absence of the Soviet 
Union, NATO has lost its original purpose. G
​ overnments spend billions of dollars on 
financing their stake in NATO with little need for collective defence in modern day. NATO 

 
 
 
still serves a crucial role in international relations, however it doesn’t serve its original 
purpose. 

Article V 

  Article V is the most well-known part of the NATO treaty. It was born as a need for 
mutual assistance in the Cold War to counter the risk of the Soviet Union annexation of 
European countries. The treaty was based on the foundation of collective defence. Article V 
provides that if any member country is the victim of an armed attack; all member countries 
will provide aid to assist the ally attacked. The invocation of this article could have proven 
deadly since the Soviet Union would have been faced by the full force of European powers: 
backed by US and Canada respectively. 

“The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North 
America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such 
an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective 
self-defence recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or 
Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such 
action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the 
security of the North Atlantic area. 

Any such armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof shall immediately be reported 
to the Security Council. Such measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken 
the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security.” ​-Excerpt 
from Article 5 

Assistance 

  With the invocation of Article 5, countries are allowed to provide any amount of 
defence they deem necessary; granted they provide some form of assistance. Military 

 
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assistance isn't necessarily the only thing that the victimized country needs, therefore 
humanitarian aid has been provided in the past. 

Past Invocation 

  The first time Article 5 was invoked was in 2001, on September 11th after a series of 
attacks that began with two commercial planes crashing into the twin towers of the World 
Trade Center. The attack was largely coordinated by Al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden. 
Following the attack, Osama bin Laden declared global jihad, considered the use of armed 
conflict to spread Islam. Once the attack was decidedly considered an international attack, 
on October 4th, 2001, NATO confirmed the invocation of Article 5. NATO air support was 
sent to the US to prevent any further air attacks, while naval resources were sent to 
regulate the Mediterranean and prevent the transport of weapons of mass destruction. 

8 measures taken: 

- The enhancement of intelligence-sharing within NATO bodies, primarily concerning 

the threats of terrorism 
- Increased security for the United States and its allies 
- Assistance provided for allies in their campaigns against terrorism, those who are 
prone to a terrorist threat 
- Resources provided to replenish Allied assets used to actively fight terrorism 
- Provided a blanket of air support in accordance with the air traffic arrangements 
- Provided access for US and allies to all ports and airfields, for operations against 
terrorism 
- Deployment of Alliance naval forces to the Mediterranean region to establish NATO 
presence 
- Deployment of Alliance Early Warning Force to support operations against terrorism 

 
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Expansion 

Membership requirements 

  The terms of accession depend on the full support of the NATO council. Since the 
council is a consensus committee, all Allies must agree before passing any resolution or 
admitting any member country. For the past 30 years, NATO has been offering 
membership to any European country that is willing to undertake the commitments of the 
membership and contribute to the security of Allies. In the past, certain members have 
reaped the benefits more than others. The United States contributes a disproportionate 
amount of money that outweighs the combined GDP contributed from all other member 
countries. As such, NATO decided to set a recommended spending amount. Each country is 
recommended to spend at least 2% of its GDP on its military: excluding Iceland, which has 
no army. In addition, each member country must be willing to solve international, ethnic or 
territorial dispute, peacefully. The country must also be committed to the rule of law and 
human rights, as well as have democratic control of their army. Each country is also 
required to be able to contribute to the organization’s defence and its missions. 
Furthermore, each country must contribute a sufficient amount of armed resources to 
meets the commitment of the membership. Countries must have safeguards in place to 
secure sensitive NATO information to protect it. Lastly, countries are required to have 
democratic legislation that is compatible with NATO cooperation. Even though most 
countries do commit to these membership requirements at first glance, there are 
exceptions who stray from these principles shortly after their accession, for example: 
Turkey’s “democratic “ legislature. 

Former Soviet Allies 

 
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  A major problem with the accession of former Soviet Allies is the tensions that it 
creates with Russia. Countries such as Ukraine, which were formerly part of the Soviet 
Union are under high pressure not to join NATO. The threatened aggression of Russia has 
made the accession of many countries an arduous process. The Baltic states are the most 
likely place for Russian aggression to occur. The first Baltic state secured its membership in 
NATO in 2004; accordingly, Russia took pre-emptive measures to intervene and secure its 
protection. Furthermore, Baltic states have the difficult task of balancing their relationship 
with Russia, with their relationship with the rest of NATO. As a result, the Baltic countries 
are more opposed to expansion, considering the potential security threat to the Northern 
region. 

Relationship with Russia 

Over the years, Russia has had a difficult relationship with NATO. The treaty was 
originally created as a countermeasure against the Warsaw pact however, after the collapse 
of the pact, NATOs purpose had to be re-evaluated. Consequently, Russia and NATO 
formed a council to clear former misunderstanding and increase predictability. However, a 
lot of progress was undone with Russia’s annexation of Crimea, part of Ukraine, in 2014. As 
a result, NATO-Russia relations became increasingly strained. Many of the former states 
that used to be part of the Soviet Union have joined NATO which has proved to be 
threatening to Russia. As well, Countries such as Ukraine, under its new leadership, have 
expressed their commitment to NATO, which has further angered Russia. Even though 
Russia has improved its relationship with NATO, pre-existing nationalistic views toward the 
now independent former Soviet states is apparent. 

Conclusion 

  Without any large scale wars since the Great Wars and the Cold War, many people 
ask if NATO is still necessary, as collective defence has proved to be nearly obsolete. NATO 
now, does not serve its original purpose, however it has shifted to peacekeeping. NATO has 
shifted its purpose to be an international preventative committee that mostly works to 
stabilize Middle Eastern region. Now, NATO serves as a form of security for European 

 
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countries, using peaceful means to solve conflict, with the reminder of the consequences of 
attacking any of its member countries. 

Bibliography 

Nato. “Collective Defence - Article 5.” N

​ ATO​, 
www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_110496.htm 

McCarthy, Niall. “Defense Expenditures Of NATO Members Visualized [Infographic].” F​ orbes​, 

Forbes Magazine, 13 July 2018, 
www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2018/07/10/defense-expenditure-of-nato-members-vi
sualized-infographic/#7325cbfa14cf 

Nato. “Russia Council (NRC).” ​NATO​, w

​ ww.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_50091.htm 

“Enlargement of NATO.” ​Wikipedia​, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 May 2019, 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlargement_of_NATO 

“NATO.” W
​ ikipedia​, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 May 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO 

Nato. “9/11 - Chronology of Events.” N

​ ATO​, ​www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/events_77648.htm 

 
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Primary source: 

 
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