NATO and Alternative Strategies

Abstract

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been, is, and probably always will be in a state of crisis. For more than 30 years predicting the imminent demise of NATO has been a growth industry; libraries of the Western World are well stocked with book and articles detailing the approaching fragmentation and ultimate demise of the alliance. The process continues: failure of a member state to honor a NATO commitment will cause the alliance to unravel; the strategy of Flexible Response no longer serves the national interest of the member states in an age of strategic and nuclear parity; forward defense invites tactical and operational disaster. The reasons why the alliance should fragment are seemingly endless and yet NATO survives, perhaps stronger than ever. The continuing survival of NATO is the best evidence that the alliance is successful, that it has served, and continues to serve, the national interest of its members.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1986
Accession Number
ADA521554

Entities

People

  • John F. Meehan Iii

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Alliances
  • Information Operations
  • Nato
  • Security
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Strategic Security Studies