Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
What is Nato? Ukraine war lifts profile of this political and military alliance
IF YOU have been paying attention to the news lately, you probably know Russia has invaded Ukraine, its western neighbour. Ukraine had been part of the Soviet Union since 1922, but became an independent country after the 1991 break up of the Soviet Union.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claims Ukraine isn’t a real country and that its land and people are historically Russian. He says it should be part of Russia again. Ukraine’s pro-Western government defends its right to exist and is fighting the invasion, which is the latest in a series of assaults by Russia over the past decade.
Although the invasion is in its first week, some people fear that it could become the worst conflict in Europe in more than 75 years.
A key player in the struggle is Nato. Nato is a political and military alliance of 30 mostly European nations. The US and Canada belong to Nato. Ukraine and Russia do not.
The heart of the Nato alliance is Article 5, an agreement that an armed attack on one member will be viewed as an attack on all, and that they will defend one another.
Ukraine has made a bid to join Nato, which Putin opposes. He doesn’t want a sixth Nato country bordering Russia or its separate Kaliningrad territory, and threatening his hold on power. He has demanded that Nato agree to never admit Ukraine, which the alliance has refused to do.
Nato’s top official called Russia’s invasion a “brutal act of war” and “senseless”. Although Ukraine is not a member, Nato has sent troops and weapons to its member nations closest to Ukraine. In addition, the US,
Germany and other member countries have imposed economic restraints, called sanctions, to punish Russia.
With Russian troops fighting in Ukraine and deployed in nearby Belarus, the risk for Nato has increased “enormously”, said Ian Lesser, a Nato expert with the German Marshall Fund of the US. He said the situation could make it harder for the alliance to defend its eastern edge.
Here is a look at Nato in a changing world:
Nato was founded in 1949 by 12 countries concerned that the Soviet Union would expand its political and economic system, called Communism, beyond Eastern Europe. This was during a time called the Cold War, which ended with the Soviet Union’s collapse.
Nato has 30 members. Although its membership is almost entirely European, Article 5 (the all-for-one defence pledge) has been invoked just once – after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the US. Nato also supported the US in the war in Afghanistan.
Nato’s headquarters are in Belgium. Funding for its operations comes from members based on their national incomes. The US, one of the world’s richest economies, pays more than other Nato countries.
Nato does not have its own armed forces. Instead it has a military command structure that works with the militaries of member countries in peacekeeping operations.
Countries wanting to join Nato must meet political, economic and military goals proving that they can contribute to Nato’s security as well as benefit from it. No country that has joined Nato has ever left it. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s bid for membership is not likely to advance while the country is at war, analysts say.
Some people confuse Nato with the UN. Both organisations focus on peacekeeping, but the UN, with 193 member countries, seeks co-operation in areas such as international law, human rights, the environment and social progress.