Following are excerpts from the NATO Charter, the lies and questionable portions underlined and in italics, followed with comments and questions.
Following are excerpts from the NATO Charter, the lies and questionable portions underlined and in italics, followed with comments and questions.
INTRODUCTION North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), regional defense alliance, created by the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed on April 4, 1949. The original signatories were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United States. Greece and Turkey were admitted to the alliance in 1952, West Germany in 1955, and Spain in 1982. In 1990 the newly unified Germany replaced West Germany as a NATO member. Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic became members of NATO in 1999. Today, 19 nations are full members of the alliance.Lie: Somalia; Rwanda; Kuwait; Haiti; Bosnia and Herzegovina; and the latest example in the offing, Iraq, NONE posed any threat to another nation (except the perceived threat to Israel), member or not, and none were being threatened with attack from anyone except the UN! Yet they have all been aggressively invaded with force by the very military forces pledged, according to the wording in the NATO Charter, to protect them, NOT attack them. It is very doubtful that Bosnia and Herzegovina are feeling "closer ties" with the invading member forces.NATO's purpose is to enhance the stability, well-being, and freedom of its members through a system of collective security. That is, members of the alliance agree to defend one another from attack by other nations. Over the years the existence of NATO has led to closer ties among its members and to a growing community of interests. The treaty itself has provided a model for other collective security agreements.
NATO Enlargement: Is Bigger Really Better?In 1997 United States President Bill Clinton advocated the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to include several formerly Communist nations, saying it was critical to creating a democratic, stable, and prosperous Europe. Other political leaders argued that such an expansion carried too many risks and too high a price. Despite these significant stakes, Americans showed relatively little interest in NATO's future. A U.S. poll conducted by the Pew Research Center shortly after the NATO summit in July 1997 indicated that only one-fifth of the respondents followed the debate. Add to this the claim of Bush, Jr., to never place our military under foreign command, but the fact he just did that is again ignored!
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In June 1999, after 11 weeks of NATO bombing had incapacitated or destroyed much of Yugoslavia's infrastructure, the FRY consented to most of the alliance's demands. FRY leaders signed an agreement that ended the bombing and placed Kosovo under international control. The peace plan called for a NATO-led military force to occupy Kosovo and ensure the safe return of ethnic Albanian refugees. The agreement also mandated the disarmament of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), a guerilla army organized prior to the NATO campaign that had attempted to drive Serb troops and police forces from the province. On June 12 thousands of NATO troops accompanied by armored vehicles moved into Kosovo, the first members of a force that was expected to grow to nearly 50,000 troops and support personnel.
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NATO's involvement in Kosovo also indicated the expanded role of the alliance in European and world affairs. Prior to the hostilities, military forces under NATO command served primarily to deter would-be attackers. During the Kosovo operation, NATO attempted to use its military might to advance humanitarian goals, to force compliance with the alliance's wishes, and to prevent the possibility of a wider conflict in Europe. NATO intervened in Kosovo despite the fact that none of the alliance's members were directly attacked by the FRY. With the signing of the cease fire, NATO committed tens of thousands of its troops to a long-term peacekeeping assignment in territory located outside the borders of the alliance.
