History of NATO and Policy Recommendations Towards NATO Essay

Thesis: Although NATO provided assistance in containing the spread of communism, and its member countries applied economic pressure on the Soviet Union, neither NATO nor President Reagan should be solely credited with causing the fall of the Soviet Union and thus the end of the Cold War. Instead, it was a combination of the tough Reagan administration policies and NATO’s threatening military armory along with grave economic problems within the Soviet Union that ultimately brought the end to the Cold War.

The American “way of war” can be seen politically through the evolution of military policy as political perspectives changed. Post-World War II reveals primary and consistent policies that lead American military policymakers to avoid major international conflict. Coined the Cold War, Americans began waging war

(1) After the end of World War II, all involved countries, with no exception of being victorious or defeated, have started seeking of the prevention of a new disaster by reconstructing and maintaining the security and peace primarily in Europe. All huge and disastrous events (such as World Wars) which affected whole world were originated from the uncomfortable conditions and conflicts in the continent. Thus the main task was to settle a

“I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.” This declaration, made by former President Harry S. Truman on March 12, 1947, is part of the Truman Doctrine, and was the basis for U.S. involvement in Western Europe throughout the Cold War. Although the North Atlantic Treaty, and the resulting North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), was established during the Cold War “to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down,” NATO has persisted since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990. This essay will seek to examine the U.S. decision to create and participate in NATO. It will begin by providing a history of NATO and the U.S. decision to participate in NATO before considering how this decision is both an instance of continuity and change in U.S. foreign policy since former President George Washington’s Farewell Address. The essay will conclude by considering the legacy of this decision and its impact on U.S. foreign policy. While this essay will consider the period of time leading up to the formation of NATO and will briefly touch on the present day, greatest consideration will be paid to the time period immediately preceding and following the formation of NATO in 1949.

While this conflict ended in defeat for America, it was only one of their attempts at stopping the spread of communism. Another way they opposed communism was by creating a treaty with several European countries. This Treaty was named Nato, and they promised that they would aid each other in the event of an armed attack (Document 4). This was the US’s way of securing itself against any hypothetical future attacks launched by the Soviet Union. This treaty could draw some similarities to the entangled alliances of WW1.

Yet, this hope was met with failure. In response to NATO, the Soviets created their own alliance called the Warsaw Pact which unified the Soviets and their satellite states. Overall, because of legislatures like Truman’s policy of containment, NATO, and The Marshall Plan, the United States funded billions to limit the Soviet’s from expansion as well as protect their own interests both domestically and

In a excerpt from the North Atlantic Treaty (NATO) that was signed by United States, Canada, and ten nations of Western Europe in 1948 states that

After unraveling of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the Berlin Wall, fears of war breaking out between the major powers of the United States and the Soviet Union were greatly reduced. Numerous commentaries, reports, and studies arose out of the question of what to do with the excess U.S. forces, and how to reshape them for a new era (Snider & Carlton-Carew, 1996). Since the birth of the United States, the military has been an important part of the United States. The US military has been a fundamental part of foreign policy, including fostering democracy, establishing rule of law, and assisting with economic development in territories allied with the U.S. (Ludema, 2007).

In the article, “The Eisenhower Doctrine, 1957”, it states, “Under the Eisenhower Doctrine, a country could request American economic assistance and/or aid from U.S. military forces if it was being threatened by armed aggression from another state.” This line portrays the purpose of the Eisenhower Doctrine. It explains how this doctrine allowed other countries, if at risk or put in danger by another area, would be allowed to asked for American assistance, whether it be economy or military assistance. In addition, it had “singled out the Soviet threat”, as mentioned in the same article. In other words, this policy was created in response to groups such as the Soviet Union and their goal of expanding communistic methods, also known as the Soviet Threat. The Eisenhower Doctrine was influenced through events such as the Suez Crisis of 1956. In the Suez Crisis of 1956, a larger tension had broken between Egypt and British and French leaders after Egyptian President, Gamal Abdel Nasser, had forced British troops to leave and give the Suez Canal into Nassar’s command. Due to this, Eisenhower, who was against the spread of communism, had allowed for U.S. military troops to be sent over so that communism wouldn’t be used, which relates back to the Eisenhower Doctrine and its purpose. Later on, the Eisenhower Doctrine was used and applied to the Lebanon Crisis 1958. This crisis also relates back to communism and the Soviet Union/Threat. The Lebanon Crisis of 1958 was a Lebanese political crisis caused by political and religious tensions between Lebanon and Egypt, and had included U.S. military intervention. The citizens of Lebanon and other leaders, such as Nassar, had questioned their President, Chamille Chamoun, for continuing to have ties with the West, leading to high amounts of tensions between Chamoun and his citizens. Due to the numerous amounts of conflicts arising and the risk of being

Europe and the United States both have vested interest in maintaining security, supporting open trade, building upon each other’s strong economy, and reducing political barriers. Many critical shipping routes for commercial and military access are located in the region and must be available for Freedom of Navigation. EUCOM was officially approved in 1946 and established in 1952 as a unified command to preserve peace in Europe. Over the last 65 years, EUCOM provided direct support to U.S. national interest in Europe and within NATO. The U.S. is a global leader in military defense spending and global security. U.S. defense spending in relationship to GDP was 4.5% in 2012. Permanent stationing of U.S. forces abroad is expensive, but the benefits of overseas military presence help deter regional hegemony and provocative actions that lead to open conflict.

With this book, a major element of American history was analyzed. The Cold War is rampant with American foreign policy and influential in shaping the modern world. Strategies of Containment outlines American policy from the end of World War II until present day. Gaddis outlines the policies of presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, including policies influenced by others such as George Kennan, John Dulles, and Henry Kissinger. The author, John Lewis Gaddis has written many books on the Cold War and is an avid researcher in the field. Some of his other works include: The United States and the Origins of the Cold War, 1941-1947, The Long Peace: Inquiries into the History of the Cold War, We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War

The end of the cold war obligated the United States once again to face the old problems which weren’t based on containment of communism. Like in the aftermath of World War 2 when America’s influence in the world was expanded, the end of the Cold War did much of the same. The problem’s the Soviet Union once had of controlling and influencing smaller countries under its thumb, now were inherited by the last super power standing, which at the time was the United States. Debate began to rise on what path America should take next on foreign policy, should the U.S commit itself to small problems or hold back its fire until a greater threat emerged?

Leffler stated that “they were worried that the Kremlin might exploit these weaknesses to alter the balance of power… so they harnessed the economic principles of the open door to the national security interests of the United States. (Heilbrunn) Leffler describes the Cold War in this way: “…neither the Americans nor the Soviets sought to harm the other in 1945… The protests that each country’s actions evoked from the other fueled the cycle of distrust as neither could comprehend the fears of the other, perceiving its own actions as defensive. Herein rests the classic security dilemma… U.S. officials… chose to contain and deter the Russians rather than to reassure and placate them, thereby accentuating possibilities for a spiraling cycle of mistrust.” (Heilbrunn) In 1947, Ernest Bevin, British foreign secretary, “believed it essential to construct a defensive military alliance in Western Europe; and in December of that year he proposed to George C. Marshall an alliance that would guarantee Western European security and prevent further Soviet aggrandizement.” (Heilbrunn) This proposal was realized in the North Atlantic Treaty and the establishment of NATO in 1949. Only an alliance such as this would halt Soviet infiltration and the gradual collapse of one western wall after another. According to Heilbrunn, the Soviet military buildup started after 1945. By 1950 American intelligence estimates suggested that the Soviets

The United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are two different groups, but they affect the world in the same way. They both want to make a difference in today's world, they strive for peace and prosperity, and they work hard to accomplish their goals.

NATO starts the year 2000 with the issue of concern. The European Allies' defense capability, stabilization efforts in the Balkans, and relations with Russia are at the top of a highly charged agenda.