NATO's Relevance to United States Enduring National Interests Time to Remove the Training Wheels but Continue to Hold the Handle Bars

Abstract

From its inception in December 1950, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been the bedrock of European security and a strategic foundation of the United States foreign policy to the European region. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War many were quick to argue that NATO had become obsolete. Additionally, these same pundits contend that NATO is out of date with current U.S. foreign policy. However, this thesis asserts that NATO continues to afford the United States the ability to protect its vital national interests and project influence globally. A strong role in NATO provides the United States a conduit and connective structure to some of the worlds most stable governments, serves as the main policy mechanism by which it can influence Europe, and provides a venue for legitimacy and freedom of global action. The United States is no longer bound to provide security to NATO members by forward basing hundreds of thousands of military forces along the Eastern European front.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 10, 2016
Accession Number
AD1017716

Entities

People

  • Sean F. Counihan

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Business Administration
  • Cold War
  • Congress
  • Foreign Policy
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Nato
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • International Relations and European Studies
  • Strategic Security Studies