What is NATO? Understand how the North Atlantic Treaty Organization works

NATO was created in 1949, during the Cold War. The organization was led by the United States (USA) in opposition to the former Soviet Union. In 1991, with the dissolution of the Soviet bloc, Nato it became an alliance with the objective of safeguarding the economic interests of the countries that make up the organization.  

The original founding members of the alliance are: United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway and Portugal.

What is? 

The organization serves to guarantee defense, through military and political means, for all member states in cases of external threat. Therefore, the invasion of any NATO member country means an indication of war for all nations that are part of the organization.

The collective defense clause is in Article 5 of the charter: 

“The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against all of them and, accordingly, agree that if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of legitimate individual or collective defense recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, shall assist the party or parties attacked by immediately taking, individually and jointly with the other parties, such measures as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic region.”

It was the US that invoked Article 5 for the first time, after the September 11 attacks. 

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