= North Atlantic Treaty Organization =

The '''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''' is a treaty organization and military alliance.

<<TableOfContents>>

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== History ==

The '''Treaty of Dunkirk''' in 1947 established a mutual security pact for [[UnitedKingdom|the United Kingdom]] and [[France]]. The [[Czechia/Democratization#Socialist_Czechoslovak_Republic|Czechoslovak coup]] pushed them to rapidly expand membership.

First the '''Treaty of Brussels''' in 1948 added [[Belgium]], [[Netherlands|the Netherlands]], and [[Luxembourg]]. This organization became known as the '''Western Union'''.

The '''North Atlantic Treaty''' in 1949 added [[Canada]], [[Denmark]], [[Iceland]], [[Italy]], [[Norway]], [[Portugal]], and [[UnitedStates|the United States]]. The [[WorldHistory/KoreanWar|Korean War]] demonstrated the necessity of a treaty organization. The '''Western Union Defence Organisation''' ('''WUDO''') was adopted and transformed into the '''North Atlantic Treaty Organization'''.

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== Members ==

Founding members:

 1. [[Belgium]]
 1. [[Canada]]
 1. [[Denmark]]
 1. [[France]]
 1. [[Iceland]]
 1. [[Italy]]
 1. [[Luxembourg]]
 1. [[Netherlands|Netherlands]]
 1. [[Norway]]
 1. [[Portugal]]
 1. [[UnitedKingdom|United Kingdom]]
 1. [[UnitedStates|United States]]

Subsequent members:

 1.#13 [[Albania]]
 1. [[Bulgaria]]
 1. [[Croatia]]
 1. [[Czechia]]
 1. [[Estonia]]
 1. [[Finland]]
 1. [[Germany]]
 1. [[Greece]]
 1. [[Hungary]]
 1. [[Latvia]]
 1. [[Lithuania]]
 1. [[Montenegro]]
 1. [[NorthMacedonia|North Macedonia]]
 1. [[Poland]]
 1. [[Romania]]
 1. [[Slovakia]]
 1. [[Slovenia]]
 1. [[Spain]]
 1. [[Sweden]]
 1. [[Turkey]]

[[BosniaHerzegovina|Bosnia-Herzegovina]] has a '''Membership Action Plan''' ('''MAP''') since 2008.

[[Georgia]] has also began dialogue to enter the organization, but no formal steps have been taken.

[[Ukraine]] formally applied to join the organization in 2022, following the Russian invasion. The council agreed that no MAP is necessary for their application to proceed.

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== Structure ==



=== Organization ===

The organization is overseen by the '''North Atlantic Council''' ('''NAC'''). Initially this council was composed of member states' foreign ministers and equivalents, and it met annually. Since 1952, the council has been in permanent session. Member states designate a '''permanent representative'''; they are frequently swapped out for heads of state, state ministers, or defense ministers.

Operational leadership is split between a [[WorldHistory/NorthAtlanticTreatyOrganization/SecretariesGeneral|secretary general]] that chairs the council, a '''supreme commander''' (always of the U.S. Armed Forces), and a '''chair of the military committee''' (also a military position, but not necessary of the U.S.).

The organization largely avoids the politics of members. [[Norway/JensStoltenberg|Stoltenberg]] argued that "NATO is the most successful alliance in history because we have been able to stay out of domestic political debates."



=== Treaty ===

The treaty functionally is a cooperative pact, rather than an enforceable law.

In many ways, the only important component of the treaty is '''Article 5''', which establishes that an attack on one member is an attack on all members.



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