北约英文介绍

TheNorthAtlanticTreatyOrganization,alsocalledthe(North)AtlanticAlliance,isanintergovernmentalmilitaryalliancebasedontheNorthAtlanticTreatywhichwassignedon4April1949.TheNATOheadquartersareinBrussels,Belgium,andtheorganizationconstitutesasystemofcollectivedefencewherebyitsmemberstatesagreetomutualdefenceinresponsetoanattackbyanyexternalparty.

Foritsfirstfewyears,NATOwasnotmuchmorethanapoliticalassociation.However,theKoreanWargalvanizedthememberstates,andanintegratedmilitarystructurewasbuiltupunderthedirectionoftwoU.S.supremecommanders.ThefirstNATOSecretaryGeneral,LordIsmay,famouslystatedtheorganization'sgoalwastokeeptheRussiansout,theAmericansin,andtheGermansdown.DoubtsoverthestrengthoftherelationshipbetweentheEuropeanstatesandtheUnitedStatesebbedandflowed,alongwithdoubtsoverthecredibilityoftheNATOdefenceagainstaprospectiveSovietinvasion—doubtsthatledtothedevelopmentoftheindependentFrenchnucleardeterrentandthewithdrawaloftheFrenchfromNATO'smilitarystructurefrom1966.

AfterthefalloftheBerlinWallin1989,theorganizationbecamedrawnintotheBalkanswhilebuildingbetterlinkswithformerpotentialenemiestotheeast,whichculminatedwithseveralformerWarsawPactstatesjoiningthealliancein1999and2004.On1April2009,membershipwasenlargedto28withtheentranceofAlbaniaandCroatia.Sincethe11Septemberattacks,NATOhasattemptedtorefocusitselftonewchallengesandhasdeployedtroopstoAfghanistanaswellastrainerstoIraq.

TheBerlinPlusagreementisacomprehensivepackageofagreementsmadebetweenNATOandtheEuropeanUnionon16December2002.WiththisagreementtheEUwasgiventhepossibilitytouseNATOassetsincaseitwantedtoactindependentlyinaninternationalcrisis,ontheconditionthatNATOitselfdidnotwanttoact—theso-calledrightoffirstrefusal.OnlyifNATOrefusedtoactwouldtheEUhavetheoptiontoact.ThecombinedmilitaryspendingofallNATOmembersconstitutesover70%oftheworld'sdefencespending,withtheUnitedStatesaloneaccountingforabouthalfthetotalmilitaryspendingoftheworldandtheUnitedKingdom,France,Germany,andItalyaccountingforafurther15%

Beginnings

TheNorthAtlanticTreatywassignedinWashington,D.C.on4April1949andwasratifiedbytheUnitedStatesthatAugust.TheTreatyofBrussels,signedon17March1948byBelgium,theNetherlands,Luxembourg,FranceandtheUnitedKingdomisconsideredtheprecursortotheNATOagreement.ThetreatyandtheSovietBerlinBlockadeledtothecreationoftheWesternEuropeanUnion'sDefenceOrganizationinSeptember1948.However,participationoftheUnitedStateswasthoughtnecessaryinordertocounterthemilitarypoweroftheUSSR,andthereforetalksforanewmilitaryalliancebeganalmostimmediately.

ThesetalksresultedintheNorthAtlanticTreaty,whichwassignedinWashington,D.C.on4April1949.ItincludedthefiveTreatyofBrusselsstates,aswellastheUnitedStates,Canada,Portugal,Italy,Norway,DenmarkandIceland.PopularsupportfortheTreatywasnotunanimous;someIcelanderscommencedapro-neutrality,anti-membershipriotinMarch1949.