Alliances in International Relations - 3
Just a Brief Introduction Knowledge For Those Who Want To Learn About Alliances.
With collapsing of the Soviets, Cold War ended in 1991. Of course, that event brought collapsing of Warsaw Pact. When we look at this perspective, this means that NATO completed its mission also but NATO continues to exist. Even there is no certain threat against NATO ideological or military. Still many countries would like to be a part of NATO. Moreover, NATO is seen as a basic security element of the European Union.
Why still NATO is seen as a significant alliance organization even though it was completed its mission? During Cold War, the founding members of NATO's motivation are liberalism and ideologies from its derivatives such as democracy, economic liberalism, etc. It is a fact that the best feature of liberalism is becoming an adaptive ideology, NATO uses this advantage also. So NATO still exists because it could achieve its conjectural transformation after Cold War.
Every 10 years, NATO evaluates international conjuncture and makes action plans or it makes decisions about the recruitment of members. Furthermore, with the disintegration of Yugoslavia NATO’s purpose changed. Before the 90s, NATO’s only purpose is that provides its members, which means that if you want to be protected by NATO, you have to be a NATO member first. But in the Bosnian – the Serbian conflict in the ’90s, NATO applied the UN’s decisions about that territory although, Yugoslavia is not a member of NATO. After the 9/11 attack, NATO started military operations in Afghanistan because of the US’s call for NATO Article 5 (If a NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, every other member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack against all members and will take the actions it deems necessary to assist the Ally attacked.). This event was out of the classic NATO sphere also.
Today, NATO qualifies itself as an advocate of a democratic world. Especially, NATO started to reflect itself like fighting with autocratic countries such as China or Russia, after Joe Biden was in charge. The subject of becoming the People’s Republic of China as enemy is still talked about because PRC is a really good trade partner of Europe.
Russia is remembering NATO for who the threat is while it behaves aggressively in the international sphere. Even these policies by Russia lead to investment in defense and military for the EU countries themselves.
Period by period, European countries mention building their security organization with a base in France. But it might not a useful idea because that organization is not going to catch NATO’s power in the short – term. So, the EU’s operations are going to be limited to soft operations.
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