Questions tagged [nato]

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established by the United States and much of Europe after the Soviet Union (Russia) invaded parts of Eastern Europe after World War II. Use for questions about the organization and the politics surrounding it.

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If a NATO member state enters a war, are other NATO members obligated to assist it?

Let's say Turkey enters a war that is going on in the Middle East. It does not matter against whom. Are other NATO members in the obligation to assist her? Normally they should have to, if Turkey is ...
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Why would Russia care about NATO troops on its borders if it has nuclear weapons?

In a related question on why Russia is against Ukraine joining the EU, @user4012 writes the following: Basically, Russia has no natural defensive perimeter of its core. Thus, its permanent strategy ...
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What would setting up a no-fly zone by NATO over Ukraine actually mean?

Zelensky has recently requested NATO to set up a no-fly zone over Ukraine hoping to reduce the bombing and NATO rejected this request. The main reason provided for this was not dragging the alliance ...
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Why did the former SSR countries like Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia face no trouble joining NATO and EU?

Why did the former SSR countries like Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia face no trouble from Russia to join NATO and EU, while countries like Georgia and Ukraine facing Russian military invasions?
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How does Turkey's purchase of the S-400 anti-air system jeopardize the F-35?

(Not sure if this is the right place for the question, but the roots of it are political.) From what I've seen, Turkey's decision to buy the Russian S-400 anti-air system has jeopardized its ...
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Why and since when did Russia stop integrating itself into the Western community?

After the downfall of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation was on its way to integrating itself into the Western community politically, economically and socially (by Western World I mean the so-...
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Is NATO obliged to invoke Article 5 if one of its members attacks another member?

Turkey is currently doing a lot of posturing against the EU in general and its neighbor Greece in particular. Assuming Turkey were to attack Greece, is NATO obliged to invoke Article 5 (Collective ...
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Why doesn't Russia join NATO and what would happen if it tried?

So, I'm likely demonstrating my own stupidity here, but I'm wondering what I'm missing. Russia claims that it's afraid of NATO and feels like it might attack it. So... what if it joined NATO? I know, ...
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On what grounds can NATO remove a member state from the organisation?

Is there any mechanism through which NATO member states can agree to remove a member state? If so, then what are the criteria through which a member state could be removed?
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What, if any, reasons prevented Ukraine from joining NATO?

Given the annexation of Crimea in 2014: one could argue that Ukrainian officials considered joining NATO between 2015 and 2021. What if any obstacles did Ukraine face to joining NATO during 2015-...
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Would Finland's joining NATO be a violation of the 1947 Treaty of Paris?

Articles like this one by the Atlantic Council suggest that Finland and Sweden are going to join NATO and give up their neutrality. However would Finland's joining NATO not violate the 1947 Treaty of ...
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Why don't the other countries of Europe maintain as massive a military as Russia does?

The countries that are in my inquiry list are: SN Country Population GDP DefExp 0 Russia 143,439,832 1,267,750 66.4 bn 1 Germany 80,682,351 3,494,900 39.4 bn 2 UK 65,111,143 2,649,890 55.5 bn 3 ...
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How would Ukraine joining NATO affect Russian security?

The current Russian troop buildup close to Ukraine and the exercise in Belarus are partially justified by Russian security interests which, in particular, mean that Russia very much opposes NATO ...
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Why would NATO not defend its members against Russia?

In this answer the following scenario is presented: Russia invades a NATO member, say, Norway. NATO does nothing to defend Norway. In my opinion, this scenario is unrealistic because the very ...
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Does NATO membership require democracy?

The Telegraph reports that Erdoǧans post-coup purge may force NATO to suspend Turkish membership: This prompted John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, to warn that Turkey faced suspension from Nato ...
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Does NATO have any obligation to defend Ukraine against Russia?

Does NATO have any obligation to defend Ukraine against Russia? Why is it not sending NATO troops on the Ukraine border to defend against Russia? I thought the point of NATO is to defend against ...
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Why doesn't any nuclear power country which is supporting Ukraine hand them a Nuclear Bomb?

Some 25 nations were on the call and all said they would continue to contribute aid, some saying for the first time their support will include lethal assistance. NATO was also represented. In addition,...
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What is the motivation for the expansion of NATO in Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, at the risk of starting a hot war with Russia?

My understanding is that due to its overall economic conditions today, Russia, a country much weaker than Soviet Union, does not have enough military power to defeat NATO in a hot war without invoking ...
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Has any Western leader articulated how NATO would benefit from admitting Ukraine?

NATO sees itself as a defensive alliance, so its members are expected to benefit from banding together and deterring attacks. No doubt Ukraine would greatly benefit from membership in its recurring ...
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To what extent do Scandinavian countries support the Kurds (PKK and YPG)?

Turkish President Erdogan is opposed to Finland and Sweden's inclusion to NATO because of their alleged support of the PKK. He said Scandinavian countries are "guesthouses for terrorist ...
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Would it be possible for Pakistan or India to join NATO?

Is it possible for example for Pakistan or India to join NATO? What does the NATO treaty say about it?
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Did the United States break a promise to Russia when NATO moved eastward?

Did the United States break a promise to Russia when NATO moved eastward with new members? In 1990, President George H.W. Bush made a promise to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO would &...
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Why is having a NATO missile-defense launch system such a big deal for Russia?

After of its activation almost three years ago, from time to time, I keep hearing on the news about Russia making statements about the NATO missile-defense launch system placed in Deveselu (locally ...
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In what ways will the Russian-Ukraine war benefit/harm the United States?

At the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war this year (2022), I have seen rumors on Twitter saying that the United States could actually benefit from Russia's possible invasion into Ukraine. For ...
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Why is the rest of NATO blaming the US for the situation in Afghanistan?

Example headline: 'Greatest debacle that NATO has seen': Biden stuns allies with Afghanistan mistakes expected of Trump "You know, it is not the European Union who decided to leave Afghanistan,&...
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What are Turkey's objections to Finland and Sweden joining NATO?

I was puzzled by this move by Turkey to block swift approval of Sweden and Finland to NATO Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO on Wednesday in another step toward the Western military ...
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Why doesn't Russia build more missile defense systems instead of complaining about NATO's systems?

This answer argues about Russia's concerns over missile defense systems due to undermining of Mutual Assured Destruction: The basis for the modern stalemate is called Mutual Assured Destruction. ...
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Did Russia once want to join NATO? Does former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov refer to a serious interest in the past?

In CNN's April 15, 2022 He was once Putin's Prime Minister. Now he supports Ukraine after 05:30 former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov says (my transcription, no closed captions available): I'...
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How true are Trump’s claims about NATO spending?

Over President Trump’s term in office, he has been very vocal about the spending commitments made by many NATO countries, and their frequent failure to live up to them. He now seems to be taking ...
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What was the reason for extending NATO in the 1990s?

I know there are questions that might sound similar, but this is a completely different one. Firstly, I am using the word extending and not expanding. Secondly, the question is limited to a time ...
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What is the basis for the Western leaders to believe that harsh economic sanctions will not lead to a nuclear war with Russia eventually?

It is clear at the moment that no Western countries will send troops to Ukraine or set up a non-fly zone in Ukraine because they worry that will lead to a WWIII. But Putin already said Western ...
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Would a (nuclear) strike that hits an NATO member state embassy/extraterritoriality in Ukraine be considered a (nuclear) strike against NATO?

The NATO website has an article about Collective defence - Article 5 which reads The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an ...
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What is the public evidence about Russian claims concerning US promising non-expansion of NATO towards it borders?

During the recent 2022 conflict in Ukraine and the diplomatic talks preceding it, the Russian government kept saying that there were promises made by the US and the west that NATO would not expand ...
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Why do Western countries not send more powerful weapons to Ukraine?

One of the most important reasons for Ukrainians being able to defend themselves against the Russian military is the weapons sent by various NATO / EU countries. However, it seems that there is quite ...
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Why hasn’t Ukraine joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?

Ukraine was part of the USSR and made themselves independent. Vladimir Putin called the separation of the USSR a "major geopolitical disaster of the century". I am aware of the Russian ...
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Why would Trump call out Germany saying they owe the US and NATO 'vast sums' of money for defence?

Why would Trump call out Germany on their spending budget for NATO? He tweets Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive,...
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NATO attacking EU: what happens?

What happens, from an international law point of view, if a NATO country which is not a member of EU, attacks (unprovoked) an EU country which is not a member of NATO? Specifically, are the ...
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What determines whether Western countries (and NATO) recognize separatist movements? (especially when comparing Kosovo and the Donbass)

Consider the following scenario: there is a region in a country inhabited primarily by a different ethnic group than the majority of the rest of the country, and has been living there and composing ...
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How does US manage to maintain such a high military expenditure?

Note: this is somewhat related to this question US clearly dominates the world when it comes to military expenditure, both in % of GDP and nominal value. This answer indicates that West European ...
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Did Turkey take revenge of Russian attacks on ISIS by downing the plane? [closed]

Is it possible that Turkey downed the Russian jet because they did not want Russia to be attacking ISIS (and maybe the Syrian Rebels)? It is quite clear that Turkey is the one who buys Oil from ISIS ...
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Resolving military conflicts between NATO member states [closed]

The question of a military conflict between NATO member states would have been an entirely hypothetical question a decade ago , but looking at certain NATO member states (e.g. Turkey) increasing ...
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1 answer
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Why won't NATO leave Syria?

After Russia has joined the fight it's sure that Isis won't be able to take Syria like in Iraq as both Assad and Putin are against Isis. What is the remaining American interest in elongating the war ...
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What is responsible for the "missing consensus" on donating non-Bundeswehr Leopard 2s to Ukraine?

From Reuters, about Leopard 2s for Ukraine German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said he could not say when there would be a decision on the tanks but Berlin was prepared to move quickly if there ...
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Was there a formal rebuke of NATO's expansion by the Russia Duma, before 2004?

The NYT took note in 2004 that parliamentary opposition to NATO's expansion was growing in Russia While Russia has resigned itself to NATO's expansion, albeit grudgingly, the reality of NATO forces ...
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Is the Baltic Sea considered included in the area covered by the NATO treaty?

Article 6 of the NATO treaty specifically mentions the Mediterranean Sea, but not the Baltic Sea. So do NATO countries consider an attack on their aircraft or vessels in the Baltic Sea, but in ...
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How much additional defense spending would NATO have if every member met its obligations?

Every member of NATO is required to spend at least 2% of its GDP on defense. Most don't. How much money does that shortfall come to?
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Is there a fund into which NATO countries are supposed to pay?

This morning, 12/3/19, Trump said that some counties have been delinquent in their payments to NATO because they have not (for years) met their 2% obligation. He intimated that he would bring up the ...
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What could Russia do against Finland and Sweden if they join NATO? [closed]

Russia threatens a strong response against Finland or Sweden if they apply to join NATO. What could Russia do against these countries? After all, they are already in EU and hence included in the EU ...
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2 answers
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Do any NATO members control rare resources that could be blocked in response to China blocking rare earth materials shipments to the US?

Let's say China decides to go ahead and block shipments of rare earth materials to Western countries. Is there a way for NATO members to retaliate and block crucial shipments to China?
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Why did the US completely depart the Bagram Air Base?

After reading this question and the associated comments, I was left wondering: For what reasons did the US choose to completely hand over Bagram Air Base to the Afghan Security Forces? Was it ...
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