The Future of NATO Enlargement
Abstract
The most celebrated event at the NATO summit in Madrid was the decision to invite Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary to begin accession talks aimed at bringing them into the Alliance by the 50th Anniversary of the Washington Treaty in April 1999. Of equal importance, although not as well publicized at the time, was the decision to continue the enlargement process after Madrid by committing NATO to take in additional new members in the future. In this paper, I will explore the motivations behind the decision to continue the enlargement process past Madrid and then go on to consider how the future of enlargement is likely to unfold. In so doing, I will discuss the prospects of possible future candidates for membership, examine the sensitive question of Baltic membership, assess the impact of an enlarging Alliance on NATO unity and cohesion, and speculate on the ultimate limits of the enlargement process, including prospects for Russian membership. Sine the future of NATO enlargement cannot be understood without an understanding of its past, I will begin by reviewing the foreign policy motivations that led the Clinton Administration to pursue NATO enlargement and describe the major developments and events leading up the Madrid Summit.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA442799
Entities
People
- John R. Schmidt
Organizations
- National War College