NATO

A Beginner's Guide

Jennifer Medcalf

• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN: 9781780741697
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: International Relations
• Index: Politics & International Relations

A thorough and straightforward overview of the full spectrum of NATO's military and non-military activities since the Cold War, this accessible study also provides valuable insight into the issues and problems facing NATO in the post-9/11 and post-Iraq War world. Author Jennifer Medcalf clearly and concisely discusses each of the main areas on NATO's agenda and also looks at the future of the organization.

chronology of key events

1947
5 June		Marshall Plan is announced by US Secretary of State, George C. Marshall.
1948
22 January		British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin proposes the creation of a Western Union comprising Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
22–25 February		A coup d’état results in the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia taking control of the government.
17 March		The Brussels Treaty of Economic, Social and Cultural Collaboration and Collective Self Defence is signed by Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
24 June		The Berlin blockade begins.
6 July		Discussions about the formation of a North Atlantic defence organisation begin in Washington, DC between the Brussels Treaty powers, Canada and the United States.
10 December		Negotiations on the North Atlantic Treaty begin in Washington, DC between the Brussels Treaty powers, Canada and the United States.
1949
15 March		Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Norway and Portugal are invited to join the North Atlantic Treaty.
4 April		Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States sign the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, DC.
9 May		The Berlin blockade is lifted.
24 August		The North Atlantic Treaty enters into force.
17 September		The North Atlantic Council meets for the first time.
5 October		The Defence Committee of the North Atlantic Council meets for the first time.
6 October		President Truman signs the Mutual Defence Assistance Act.
1950
25 June		North Korea attacks South Korea.
19 December		US General Dwight D. Eisenhower is appointed as NATO’s first Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).
20 December		The Brussels Treaty powers agree to merge the military component of the Western Union into NATO.
1951
2 April		Allied Command Europe becomes operational, with Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) situated at Rocquencourt, near Paris.
1952
18 February		Greece and Turkey join NATO.
12 March		Lord Ismay becomes NATO’s first Secretary General.
28 April		The North Atlantic Council meets for the first time in permanent session in Paris.
1955
6 May		The Federal Republic of Germany joins NATO.
6 May		The Brussels Treaty powers, the Federal Republic of Germany and Italy sign the Western European Union treaty. The Western Union becomes the Western European Union.
14 May		Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslova...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Acknowledgements
• List of abbreviations
• introduction
• The origins of NATO
• basic information
• one: nato in a new strategic context
• two: missions redefined: nato’s post-cold war operations
• three: the alliance rebalanced? equipping nato for its missions
• Introduction
• The origins of the European security conundrum
• four: an alliance challenged: nato and ‘new’ security threats
• five: an expanding alliance: nato’s post-cold war enlargement process
• Introduction
• six: outreach and partnership: nato’s relations with its neighbours
• conclusion: an alliance revitalized? future challenges for nato
• The North Atlantic Treaty
• Chronology of key events
• Member profiles
• Glossary
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index