Conflict+Management+in+Global+Politics+-+NATO

=NATO's Role in Managing Global Conflicts= Davina - Mika - Jen

Background
NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is a political and military Alliance between 28 countries created when the treaty was signed on 4 April 1949. The 'fundamental' role of NATO is to use political and military force in order to have peace and security of the member countries. The countries are primarily from North America and European. [1] The NATO headquarters are currently in Brussels, Belgium. [1]

It undertakes crisis military operations under either UN mandate or Article 5 of the Washington Treaty: "The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently [..] each of them [...] will assist the Party or Parties so attacked [...] such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area." [2]

In 1949, it was founded by 12 members, the resulting 16 members were subsequently added over the course of the following years, until the most recent addition in 2009, which was Albania and Croatia. [3] A complete list is found [|here], on the third slide. Originally, it was created in order to combat the risk of the Soviet Union expanding past Eastern Europe. [5]

An interesting fact of NATO is that all actions are made through consensus - that is the agreement between all 28 member countries. [4]

Aside from the 28 member countries, the NATO is also part of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC). The EAPC consists of all 28 member countries and 22 "partner countries" that are located in Eurasia. Also, NATO has a Mediterranean Dialogue, which includes 7 countries located in Northern Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. The Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) contains four countries from the Gulf Cooperation Council. And last but not least there are 4 pure "contact countries", which are New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. The "contact countries" share the same key Alliance values and similar strategic concerns with the NATO. [6]

Sources:

1. NATO. "FAQ." //NATO//. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2011. . 2. NATO. "What is NATO? - Basics, Collective defence." //NATO//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2011. . 3. NATO. "What is NATO? - Basics, NATO's 28 Members." //NATO//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2011. . 4. NATO. "What is NATO? - Dynamics, Consensus decision-making." //NATO//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2011. . 5. NATO. "What is NATO - Page 11."//NATO//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2011. . 6. NATO. http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-2A144EA2-A0FA4734/natolive/51288.htm. Retrieved on Sunday, October 16, 2011.

Current Missions
Currently, NATO is involved in missions and operations in Afghanistan, the Kosovo, in Libya, off the Horn of Africa, and in Iraq. Also, it is monitoring the Mediterranean sea and it's supporting the African Union. [1]

The mission in Afghanistan started in 2001 by the ISAF. The ISAF (International Security Assistance Force), which since August 2003 belongs to the NATO, comprises just over 130 thousand troops from 48 countries. Its mission is to enhance the Afghan government so it will be able to become democratic.

The NATO entered the Kosovo in June of 1999. The NATO helped the Kosovo to become an independent country, which it did in February 2008. After that, the NATO agreed for peacekeeping.

Ever since March 23rd of this year, the NATO has also been stationed in Libya. Ever since Benghazi's uprising on February 17th of this year, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1970. Resolution 1970 institutes an arms embargo, freezes the personal assets of Libya's leaders and imposes a travel ban on senior figures. NATO deployed aircrafts that used strategic bombing to expel Gadafi, and those who were still loyal to him. [2]

Iraq hosts the NTM-I. The NTM-I is the "NATO Training Mission in Iraq". It is in Iraq in order to provide training and advice in various settings. Due to the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, the NATO launched the Maritime Surveillance Operation "Active Endeavor" in October of the same year. The Operation is located in the Mediterranean Sea. In April of 2003, the NATO took another step in order to prevent terrorism; it started boarding and accompanying suspect ships. So far, that operation has been successful.

On August 17th, 2009, the North Atlantic Council approved the Operation Ocean Shield. A counter-piracy mission off the Horn of Africa. The NATO also offers aid affected states, helping them to fight off pirate attacks.

Also, the NATO is currently supporting the African Union (AU). Ever since June 2007, NATO has been helping the AU with peacekeeping missions, which are currently mostly concentrated on Somalia. That mission was only supposed to last 6 months but it's been extended multiple times already and is now scheduled to end on February 29th, 2012. [1]

Sources: 1. NATO. http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_52060.htm. Retrieved on Sunday, October 16, 2011. 2. NATO. "NATO After Libya - The Atlantic Alliance in Austere Times - by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen (published in the July/August 2011 edition of Foreign Affairs), 29-Jun.-2011." //NATO//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <[]>

Evaluating NATO's Role
There are many different thoughts on the effectiveness of NATO and on whether it is a valued organisation that is still relevant today. Over the years there has been many criticisms and praise for NATO's multiple successes and failures.

With the Cold War over, the need for NATO has become less and less. Fears that European countries will form their own Security Organisation, has sparked fears in the US and Canada. [2] General Eisenhower said that the original plan had been for the US to only remain a part of NATO for ten years, but 62 years later they still remain members. [2]

It is now seen more and more that NATO is acting seperate from the UN Security Council. [2] Which results in thoughts of there being NATO trying to undermine UN's power and opening trade routes and action without the UN's mandate, and simply through Article 5.[2]

Defence Minister Peter MacKay, recently backed the thoughts of former US Secretary of Defence, Robert Gates, that not all member nations of NATO are participating equally and that all members need to participate more actively and fully. [1]

The Russian Government has recently begun criticizing NATO for their actions in Libya. A spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Lukashevich said that Russians believed the NATO air stikes were killing civilians and wrecking infrastructure. [3]

President Vladimir Putin said that NATO was not taking Russia's security concerns into seroiusly. He disagrees with NATO's promiss to make the Ukraine and Georgia members. [4]

On the other hand, while Germany abstained from taking action in Libya, the Chancellor Angela Merkel praised NATO's actions in Libya, claiming it did a great job protecting the civilians. [5]

Sources: 1.CTV. "MacKay backs Gates' criticism of NATO - CTV News." //CTV.ca//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. []. 2.Shah, Anup. "The Need for NATO — Global Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. []. 3. Reuters. " Russia steps up criticism of NATO Libya campaign. Reuters. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. []. 4.Erlanger, Steven. "Putin criticizes NATO but has praise for Bush - The New York Times." N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. []. 5. The Local. "Merkel praises NATO for Libya campaign - The Local." //The Local//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. .