THE 29 U.S. ALLIES OF NATO
The United States works around the world with various governments to help maintain peace. This comes in many forms, including stopping terrorist organizations and defusing political tensions that could cause a nuclear war. Following the events of the Second World War, nuclear war was a potential problem for countries in North America and Europe. As tensions rose between the United States and the U.S.S.R., alliances were formed, and policies were drawn up to help defend Democracy from Communists and defuse the potential for a nuclear strike. One of the largest alliances created through this period of the Cold War was between America and the European-based U.S. Allies that would form NATO. Related read:Finland-NATO Agreement Would Be Russia’s Worst Nightmare
U.S. Allies Come Together After World War II
The end of World War II would bring about the end of Nazism’s grasp throughout Europe. It was a time of celebration and a belief that peace could be established, but these feelings were soon replaced with new political themes of hostility. The Cold War would pit the Soviet Union against the U.S. and its allies. This would lead to arms races, proxy wars, and the desire to create the biggest, baddest nuclear weapons possible. Looking to gain a collective feeling of protection and to defer nations from engaging in warfare of such a scale, the U.S., Canada, and many other European nations entered into a collective agreement that stated that if a NATO member were to be attacked by a third party, the collective would respond through economic and military actions.
What Does NATO Stand For?
NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is an important military alliance founded to deter war and inspire peace during the Cold War. NATO was formed in 1949, and it continues to fulfill this function and has unfortunately regained more importance due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The List of Countries in NATO
Today, there are 30 total NATO member states. These U.S. allies and America itself are what make up the treaty and continue to work together to defuse hostile situations to this day. Although there are other countries that assist in limited ways, here are the countries that NATO officially consists of:
- Albania
- Belgium*
- Bulgaria
- Canada*
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark*
- Estonia
- France*
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland*
- Italy*
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg*
- Montenegro
- Netherlands*
- North Macedonia
- Norway*
- Poland
- Portugal*
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Turkey
- The United Kingdom*
- The United States*
*One of the 12 founding members of NATO. In addition to the founding NATO members, many others have joined throughout the years. There are other prospective nations who may look to join NATO as well, but before being accepted, they must fall into a criterion that shows values consistent with the North Atlantic Treaty. The process can take several months and even up to a year. Recently, countries such as Finland and Sweden have taken major steps toward joining NATO.
Is Ukraine a U.S. Ally?
What Was the Purpose of NATO?
The creation of NATO was a direct result of the hostility presented by the Soviet Union. By establishing a peacetime military presence on bases across Europe and a treaty that would pull multiple nations into an alliance, it helped mitigate the threat of invasion or nuclear war from Communist-backed forces in Europe and elsewhere.
NATO Continues To Serve U.S. Allies
Even as the invasion of Ukraine continues to be a shocking result for the Russians, it is important to remember the role NATO is playing in keeping an already chaotic situation from spiraling further out of control. Russian military strength still includes devastating nuclear attacks that would be matched by equally destructive attacks from the U.S. and other nations. The U.S. allies in NATO and across the world help the most powerful nation in the world defend against less predictable threats and preserve world peace. Read next:Ukraine and Russia WWI Treaty Casts Large Shadow Amid Current Crisis
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