We begin at the end of World War II. Among the victors, the USSR and the United
States are now the two world superpowers. Europe is devastated. The East of the Old Continent is under the
influence of the Soviet Union. In February 1948, Czechoslovakia, which is
a parliamentary democracy, suffers a coup d'état orchestrated by the Communist Party
and supported by the Soviet camp. In Western Europe, this event leads to fears
that Soviet influence will spread ever further westward. France, the United Kingdom, and the United
States agree then to unite their occupation zones in Germany in order to create a democratic German state that will block Soviet influence. In addition, the Benelux countries, France, and the United Kingdom sign a defensive alliance to protect themselves, on the one hand against a possible return of German power, and on the other against a military intervention
by the USSR, which has the largest army in the world. The United States, for its part, offers credits
to Europe via the Marshall Plan to accelerate reconstruction and stem the spread of communism. Tensions rise, and the continent is divided
by what is called the Iron Curtain. It is the beginning of the Cold War. The USSR, which is opposed to the creation
of West Germany, organizes a blockade of West Berlin, which is under Western control. Tensions rise further. This time, the United Kingdom secretly begins
negotiations with the United States and Canada to establish a common defensive alliance. On April 4th, 1949, in Washington, twelve
countries sign the North Atlantic Treaty, also known as the Washington Treaty, a political
and military alliance whose central point is Article 5, which ensures the collective defense of each of the member countries. “The Parties agree that an armed attack
against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all”. The territories of the signatory countries
north of the Tropic of Cancer are affected, including the departments of French Algeria,
and Cyprus and Malta, which are British colonies. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or
NATO, is thus created. Western Europe is now officially under the
protection of the United States, which is the only nuclear power. But in a few months, on August 29th, 1949,
the Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb. In Asia, the United States and the USSR fail
to reach an agreement on the status of Korea, which is divided. On June 25th 1950, the North Korean army,
supported by the USSR, invades South Korea. In response, an international UN force under
the command of the United States counter-attacks. The United States is heavily involved on this
front, and fears that the USSR will take advantage of the situation to launch a similar attack
against West Germany, which is not a member of NATO, and has not been allowed to rearm since the end of World War II. The United States wants to authorize the country's
rearmament as quickly as possible. But France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, which had all been invaded by Germany in the two world wars, are opposed. Instead, France wants to create a European army that would include German forces and be integrated into NATO. Furthermore, the members of the alliance agree to set up a common structure to better coordinate military actions. They establish a headquarters at Rocquencourt,
close to Paris. Each member country will provide, at its own
expense, military forces that will be placed under its command. The future President of the United States,
Eisenhower, becomes the first Supreme Commander. In 1952, Greece, which is emerging from a
civil war, and Turkey, which is turning towards the Western camp, join NATO. The same year, the alliance continues to structure
itself by creating the position of Secretary General, who becomes the highest representative of the alliance. The headquarters of NATO, which had been based
in London for 3 years, is moved to Paris. In France, parliament rejects the European Defense Community project. After negotiations, France finally authorizes the rearmament of West Germany and its integration into NATO, which becomes official on May 6th, 1955. A few days later, the Eastern Bloc responds by creating the Warsaw Pact, a military alliance between the countries of Eastern Europe. The armies of the two alliances mainly face each other on either side of the border that divides Germany. The United States, which has approximately 400,000 soldiers on European soil, is now betting on nuclear and installs nuclear weapons in Europe. Within a few years, Cyprus, Algeria, and then Malta gain their independence. But none of the three new countries applies
to join NATO. In France, President Charles de Gaulle is opposed to the US dominance within the alliance. He then decides that France must leave NATO integrated command, while still remaining a member of the alliance. French troops will no longer participate in NATO military actions. The 30,000 U.S. troops present in France must leave, and NATO headquarters and military command are moved to Belgium. In 1974, after an attempted coup in Cyprus,
Turkey invades the north of the island militarily. Greece, unhappy, also leaves NATO integrated
command. In the following years, the USSR develops
and installs new more powerful nuclear missiles that threaten Western Europe more precisely. This rekindles tensions. In reaction, NATO decides to install new missiles
in five member countries, while attempting to initiate a policy of détente with the USSR. In 1980, Greece returns to the integrated
command, and in 1982, Spain is admitted to NATO following the death of Francisco Franco in 1975. In the USSR, the economic situation is catastrophic. Industrial and agricultural production stagnate,
while the country is bogged down in a costly war in Afghanistan. After the Chernobyl nuclear incident of 1986
the USSR is weakened, and loses control in Eastern Europe, where pro-Soviet governments fall one by one. In 1989, the Berlin Wall is torn down. Mikhail Gorbachev, the head of the USSR, begins
meetings with the West to organize German reunification. Gorbachev wants Germany to be neutral, while
the West wants it to be a member of NATO. Long negotiations then begin, during which
the West verbally promises not to extend NATO one inch eastward in a reunified Germany. As the Warsaw Pact is still in place, it is
then not imaginable to extend NATO further eastward. But no agreement or treaty is signed in this
regard. Finally, Gorbachev agrees that reunified Germany
can be a member of NATO. A few months later, the Warsaw Pact and then
the USSR are dissolved, marking the end of the Cold War. NATO accomplished its mission by preserving
peace among its members for over 40 years, without ever having to engage in combat. Despite the end of the Cold War, NATO members
decide to maintain the alliance and adapt it to the new global environment. From now on, in addition to its defensive
mission, NATO will be able to intervene beyond its borders to support humanitarian missions, and to ensure stability in Europe. In the Balkans, Yugoslavia is weakened by
independence movements. After Slovenia, Croatia, and Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina proclaims its independence. But the new country is populated by a large Serbian minority that proclaims its own independence, and begins a siege of Sarajevo. The UN then asks NATO to patrol the Adriatic Sea to enforce an arms embargo against Yugoslavia, which is supporting the Bosnian Serb minority. The UN then passes a resolution to create a no-fly zone in the skies over Bosnia-Herzegovina. The NATO air force is given the task of patrolling
to enforce the resolution. On February 28th, 1994, 6 Serbian planes are
spotted in the exclusion zone bombing a military factory. Forty-five years after its creation, NATO
engages in its first combat, and shoots down 4 planes. The following months, NATO begins bombing
campaigns against Bosnian Serb forces, which intensify until the signing of a peace treaty
on December 14th, 1995. An international peacekeeping force, under
NATO command, is then established to ensure peace. After years of meetings and talks, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary join NATO on March 12th, 1999. In Yugoslavia, Kosovo, which is mainly populated
by Albanians, also has independence claims. A local armed group attacks Yugoslav forces,
and a civil war breaks out. Once again, the international community seeks
to intervene, but this time Russia announces that it will veto a military intervention at the UN. After the failure of negotiations with Yugoslavia, NATO takes the initiative to intervene militarily for the first time without a UN mandate, believing that its role is to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. For 78 days, NATO massively bombs Yugoslavia,
including the capital, Belgrade. Finally, an agreement is reached, and the Yugoslav army leaves Kosovo. NATO then deploys an international force called
KFOR to guarantee security. Russia, which feels betrayed and sidelined by the West, also sends soldiers to Kosovo to ensure the same mission. On September 11th, 2001, the United States
is the victim of terrorist attacks on its territory. For the first time ever, NATO activates Article
5, and commits itself to the fight against terrorism. Military aircraft are sent to the United States
to patrol the skies, and a naval force is deployed to the Mediterranean Sea to combat terrorist activities. The United States, for its part, forms a military
alliance, and goes to war against Afghanistan, which is ruled by the Taliban, and where Osama
bin Laden is located. After taking control of the capital Kabul, an international force is deployed to assist the new government in taking control of the entire country, and to maintain security. Two years later, the United States launches
another offensive, this time against Saddam Hussein's Iraq. In two months, Baghdad falls. NATO is then called upon, on the one hand, in Afghanistan, to take command of the international force there, and on the other hand, in Iraq, to train and supervise the country's new troops. In 2004, the Baltic States, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Romania, and Bulgaria join NATO. In 2005, the African Union, which is intervening in Darfur where a war is raging, asks NATO for support, and obtains logistical and air
transport assistance. The same year, NATO sends humanitarian aid
to the United States, after Hurricane Katrina, and to northern Pakistan, after a devastating
earthquake that leaves 4 million people homeless. In 2008 in Georgia, during a referendum, 77% of the population announce that they are in favor of joining NATO. A few months later, at the Bucharest Summit, NATO members announce their support for Ukraine's and Georgia's applications for NATO membership. This time, tensions rise with Russia, which claims to be the heir to the USSR, and which feels increasingly threatened by NATO, which is moving closer and closer to its borders. In 2009, Croatia and Albania join NATO, while France fully reintegrates into the military structures of the Alliance. The same year, NATO deploys an international
military fleet off the Horn of Africa to fight piracy that threatens shipping. In 2011, NATO intervenes in Libya during the
Arab Spring, officially to protect civilians. The organization bombs Sirte, where Muammar
Gaddafi had taken refuge, which accelerates his fall. In 2014, in Ukraine, pro-European demonstrations
turn into a revolution. The pro-Russian government falls, and the country is torn between pro-Russian and pro-European supporters. Russia takes advantage of the chaos to annex Crimea. In response, NATO suspends all cooperation
with Russia. In addition, NATO deploys troops in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. In 2017, Montenegro join the alliance, and in 2020, North Macedonia becomes the 30th member of NATO. The following year in Brussels, NATO members
reiterate their desire to integrate Ukraine into the alliance. In Afghanistan, the international force leaves
the country without having succeeded in defeating the Taliban, who regain control of the country after 20 years of expensive war. At the end of 2021, Vladimir Putin appeals to NATO to negotiate an end to its expansion to the East. Without a response, on February 24th, 2022,
he decides to invade Ukraine. Among the negotiations that take place during
the war, Russia asks Ukraine to become a neutral country and not to join NATO. But the war has ironically driven other countries
to now want to join the organization. Thus, in May 2022, Finland and Sweden officially
announce that they wanted to join NATO.
