About this inter-governmental international organizations and the world's largest military-political alliance today heard each.Collective security of the participating countries - that's the basic principle of the alliance called NATO.The list of countries who are in it, has to date 28 states.All are located exclusively in the two parts of the world - in North America and in Europe.
goals, objectives and structure of the organization
NATO (abbreviation of "North Atlantic Treaty Organization") - an international organization of European countries and North America.The main objective of the military-political alliance - ensuring freedom and military security of all member countries of the Union.All the activities of this structure is based on democratic values and freedoms, as well as on the rule of law.
organization based on the principle of collective security.In other words, in the case of aggression or military intervention in one of the member countries of the alliance, the other NATO members are required to work together to respond to this military threat.Also, the activities of the alliance is manifested in regular joint military exercises of armies of the participating countries.
structure of the organization consists of three main bodies.It:
- North Atlantic Council;
- Defence Planning Committee;
- Nuclear Planning Committee.
NATO member-states cooperate not only in the military field, but also in other spheres of society, such as the environment, science, emergencies and so on.
An integral part of the alliance are consultations among its members.Thus, any decision taken only by consensus.That is, each of the participating countries should vote for this or that decision of the organization.Sometimes the discussion of various issues delayed for a long time, but almost always, NATO managed to reach a consensus.
history of the establishment and expansion of the alliance
formation of a military-political alliance began almost immediately after the Second World War.Historians call the two main reasons that forced the heads of the major powers to think about the new security system.The first - the threat of revenge Nazi movements in post-war Germany, and the second - the active dissemination of the Soviet Union of its influence in the countries of Eastern and Central Europe.
As a result, April 4, 1949 in Washington, signed the so-called North Atlantic Treaty, which laid the foundation for the formation of a new union under the acronym NATO.List of countries that have signed the document, there were 12 states.They were the United States, Canada, France, Portugal, Norway, Belgium, UK, Denmark, Italy, Iceland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.They are considered the founders of the powerful military-political bloc.
In subsequent years, to the NATO bloc joined other states.The biggest addition to the alliance occurred in 2004, when the new members of NATO were 7 Eastern European countries.Currently, the geography of the alliance continues to move eastward.So, recently, of its intention to join NATO expressed by the head of such countries as Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
should be noted that during the Cold War image of NATO deliberately demonized by Soviet propaganda.Soviet alliance artificially made their main enemy.This explains the rather low policy support unit in a number of post-Soviet states.
NATO list of countries and geography alliance
What states are part of this international organization today?So, all NATO countries (for 2014) are listed below in chronological order of their entry into the alliance:
- United States of America;
- Canada;
- France;
- Portugal;
- Kingdom of Norway;
- the Kingdom of Belgium;
- UK;
- Kingdom of Denmark;
- Italy;
- Iceland;
- Netherlands;
- Duchy of Luxembourg;
- Turkey;
- Hellenic Republic;
- Federal Republic of Germany;
- Spain;
- Republic of Poland;
- Czech Republic;
- Hungary;
- Republic of Bulgaria;
- Romania;
- Slovakia;
- Slovenia;
- Estonia;
- Latvia;
- Lithuania;
- Croatia;
- Republic of Albania.
The structure of the military-political union are exclusively European countries, as well as the two states of North America.Below you can see how are all the NATO countries on the world map.
In conclusion
April 4, 1949 - this date can be regarded as a starting point in the history of an international organization under the acronym NATO.The list of countries that it includes, is slowly but steadily increasing.As of 2015, the alliance members are 28 states.It is possible that in the near future, the organization supplemented with new member states.
