Dilemma on NATO's Purpose after Cold War
This is the first part in a series of articles titled "Role of NATO in
the US Foreign Policy in Post-Bipolar Era", revealing the American
policy towards European allies and NATO outright after the end of Cold
War until the present day.
The collapse of socialistic block by the late 1990s gave rise to doubts
as to timeliness of the North Treaty Alliance Organization that in fact
had accomplished its mission and essential role. Realistic logic
concerning military alliances, based on historic experience of the Cold
War, gave reasons to believe in incapability of either military block
to outlast the collapse of the other.
American and European experts and politicians who shared these ideas,
adhered to the opinion of necessity to disband NATO or at least limit
this organization in its claims. For instance, Germany, represented by
the Minister for Foreign Affairs Hans Ditrih Gensher and backed by the
Czechoslovakia, pursued a policy towards "deeper institutionalization"
of the CSCE, trying to transform this forum into decisive element of
new European security system. Moscow in early 1990s gave rise to the
idea of "European Security Council" which would consist of the largest
European states.
Nevertheless, drastic measures taken by the USA and its closest allies
not desiring to turn down time-proved mechanisms of transatlantic ties
in late 80s-early 90s ensured NATO's survival as defense alliance.
Except NATO-centric project, all other rival projects of European
security architecture were rejected. Paris Summit demonstrated
reluctance of many influential states to give preference to the CSCE in
ensuring European security, while the concept of "All-European Security
Council" failed to succeed due to its contradiction with processes of
international relations democratization after the end of Cold War.
NATO's central role and American influence on European security could
have been put into question only by development of integration
processes in foreign policy and security within the framework of the
European Communities converted into the European Union. Notwithstanding
intense economic cooperation with the USA, Western Europe, along with
South-Eastern Asia, in 1990s and especially in early 2000s wasn't very
inspired by the prospect of unconditional support of the USA in
carrying out their "global mission" which required huge resources and
geographically broad interpretation of European countries.
The United Stated in their relying on closest European allies needed,
on the one hand, to back up European initiatives in security sphere,
and on the other hand, to guide its partners in necessary direction
evading degradation of American-European political-military connection.
Understanding the directions of NATO reforming to maintain the
organizations' vital activity emerged in American political circles
quick enough. Already in 1992 Colin Powell, then chairman of Joint
Chiefs of Staff, in his speech in London International Institute for
Strategic Research mentioned NATO's new peacemaking tasks and switch of
the alliance to more definite actions on spreading democracy and
political liberalism throughout Europe. Then, the task of the American
administration included elaboration of strategy for carrying out the
actions proclaimed along with reaching consensus on necessity of those
actions among the concerned international subjects - American allies in
NATO and Central Eastern Europe as well as American domestic political
forces.
The next sections will reveal the evolution of the USA towards the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization and include analysis of such issues
as NATO enlargement to the East and shift of organization's purposes,
tasks and functions. The particular attention will be attached to the
American policy evolution towards NATO's purposes and functions as for
now and place of this military alliance in the US foreign policy.
About the author: Patrick Hume is professional political scientist.
With a Master's degree in International Relations, Patrick specializes
in writing on political history and international issues of current
importance. His reviews and articles can be found at the site of the
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