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.
172
questions
67
votes
11
answers
22k
views
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
...
user4514
59
votes
3
answers
9k
views
What have the US and NATO done in Afghanistan for 20+ years?
I must admit I haven't followed the war in Afghanistan for many years. I know US went in there to find Osama, and they did so in 2010 or something (he was in Pakistan). Then they spent another 10 ...
- 643
54
votes
10
answers
6k
views
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-...
- 753
45
votes
2
answers
8k
views
What happens if a single NATO country like Poland decides to send troops to help Ukraine and gets attacked, would Article 5 still be invoked? [duplicate]
It's pretty clear that NATO does not want to get militarily involved in the war between Russia and Ukraine. However a NATO country like Poland or Romania could still decide to send in troops to defend ...
- 501
37
votes
3
answers
8k
views
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 ...
- 42.7k
37
votes
2
answers
13k
views
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 ...
- 48.5k
36
votes
7
answers
9k
views
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 ...
- 495
36
votes
6
answers
14k
views
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, ...
- 1,049
33
votes
11
answers
14k
views
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. ...
- 52k
32
votes
4
answers
8k
views
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 ...
- 3,690
32
votes
2
answers
9k
views
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'...
- 14.8k
30
votes
6
answers
7k
views
Why doesn't U.S. use "strategic ambiguity" on whether or not to send troops to Ukraine just like they do for the Taiwan situation?
United States has been using strategic ambiguity on Taiwan Strait issue by not clearly saying whether they would aid Taiwan with U.S. troops should Mainland China attack Taiwan, which intimidates ...
- 3,690
30
votes
3
answers
9k
views
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 ...
CDJB♦
- 96.1k
28
votes
5
answers
5k
views
How could the past NATO expansions in Eastern Europe be seen as justification of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022?
Rumors are that in Italy parts of the public opinion are accepting the view that the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was justified by a previous NATO expansion.
What are the (given) arguments (...
- 398
26
votes
2
answers
5k
views
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 ...
- 7,329
24
votes
7
answers
11k
views
Why does Germany have such a rather small defense budget?
This article deals with Germany’s Armed Forces status in the context of Trump's decision to reduce US troops stationed in Germany.
Besides the main topic, the article also mentions that Germany spends ...
- 52k
24
votes
6
answers
8k
views
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 ...
user9558
22
votes
8
answers
6k
views
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 ...
- 48.5k
22
votes
3
answers
2k
views
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 ...
- 52k
22
votes
3
answers
5k
views
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 ...
21
votes
11
answers
11k
views
Why didn't the US just complement Russia's security demands to avoid the invasion of Ukraine?
Shortly before the invasion of Ukraine happened, Russia sent its security demands to the USA. The USA rejected these proposals, and many people say they were unrealistic. However after reading the ...
- 450
21
votes
7
answers
9k
views
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 ...
- 3,690
21
votes
10
answers
15k
views
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 ...
- 5,438
21
votes
10
answers
7k
views
Why did (most of) the European NATO members support Ukraine's aspirations to joining NATO?
This article argues an alternative (maybe even complementary) view regarding the cause of the Russian invasion of Ukraine:
(..) Russia’s security concerns are in fact genuine, and NATO
expansion ...
- 52k
21
votes
3
answers
5k
views
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?
user17709
21
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Legality of Syrian invasion by US and allies
UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2249, aimed at rallying the world behind the fairly obvious notion that ISIS is an “unprecedented threat to international peace and security.”
“It’s ...
- 4,797
20
votes
3
answers
10k
views
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 ...
- 367
20
votes
5
answers
7k
views
Why can't Russia stop Ukraine from joining NATO by signing a treaty with a friendly NATO state?
One of the core demands that Russia is making on Ukraine is that Ukraine enshrine neutrality, thereby permanently refraining from joining NATO. In other words, one of the reasons Russia went to war is ...
- 29.7k
20
votes
3
answers
5k
views
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 ...
- 46.9k
19
votes
7
answers
10k
views
If everyone knows NATO can beat Russia using conventional weapons, doesn’t that force them to rapidly escalate to nuclear to have any chance?
The logic goes like this: since both sides know, and they know that the other side also knows, the game theory conclusion for Russia to have any chance of something other than defeat is to massively ...
- 1,056
19
votes
4
answers
11k
views
Has NATO recently threatened to nuke Russia?
In his 2022-09-21 speech (archived copy with https here), Putin referred to
statements made by some high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO countries on the possibility and admissibility of ...
- 340
18
votes
4
answers
5k
views
What are the de facto advantages of Sweden and Finland joining NATO?
There is a plethora of news about Turkey opposing Sweden and Finland from joining NATO, suggesting that this will be quite a long process.
Being part of NATO offers an important advantage (besides ...
- 52k
18
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Why doesn't Russia object to Norway's NATO membership?
Why doesn't Russia object to Norway's NATO membership like it does to that of Finland, Ukraine, and Georgia? Is it because the border with Norway is much shorter and basically in the middle of nowhere ...
- 1,529
18
votes
5
answers
3k
views
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?
user4514
17
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Why didn't the US and allies supply Ukraine with air defense systems before the October strikes?
As was well covered in the media, the Russian war of aggression came into a new phase in October with strikes on the civilian energy infrastructure in Ukraine. I can understand why they're doing this ...
- 1,131
17
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Why did NATO not extend to include Ukraine along with the Baltic States back in 2004?
Note: This is somewhat related to this question
According to CNBC, one of the goals of Russia is to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO.
I am not sure if this is related to not having a direct border ...
- 52k
17
votes
3
answers
1k
views
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 ...
- 1,483
17
votes
5
answers
4k
views
What possible retaliation could Russia take against Lithuania for enforcing the EU sanctions?
Russia has today threatened Lithuania with retaliation after Lithuania enforced the EU sanctions blocking certain products from transiting Lithuania from Russia to Kaliningrad. Russia refers to this ...
- 411
16
votes
3
answers
1k
views
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 ...
- 4,337
15
votes
4
answers
4k
views
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 ...
- 52k
15
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Has Ukraine ever considered being neutral after the collapse of the Soviet Union?
This article that was written a few weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine suggests that Emmanuel Macron did not rule out the idea of Ukraine's neutrality following Finland as a model:
During the tense ...
- 52k
15
votes
4
answers
7k
views
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 ...
user39733
15
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Are NATO countries obliged to meet their 2% defence spending targets?
Why do most NATO members fail to spend the agreed target of 2% of GDP on defense? Could the member states that do meet the target do anything about this?
- 306
15
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What happens with Ålands demilitarised status when Finland joins NATO?
In May 2022, Finland announced its intention to apply for NATO membership. Assuming Finland becomes a NATO member, what does that mean for Åland? Åland is an autonomous and demilitarised region of ...
- 46.9k
14
votes
10
answers
6k
views
Why are European countries increasing their defense budgets if they are members of a nuclear-armed NATO?
Mirror question to Why would Russia care about NATO troops on its borders if it has nuclear weapons?
Naively one would think that Russia should not worry about NATO because they have nuclear weapons. ...
- 29.7k
14
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Would a potential Russian attack on Starlink satellite be considered an attack on NATO member?
Does NATO consider an attack on a satellite in space as similar to attacking the country in which the company is registered?
- 385
14
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Could NATO accept a new member who is at war?
Could NATO Accept a new member who is at war?
There are many reasons why NATO would not want to accept Ukraine as a new member state right now. The most prominent reason being the perception that this ...
- 1,282
13
votes
3
answers
20k
views
Why hasn't Austria joined NATO?
Taking a look at the following map of Europe highlighting NATO members, I saw a rather strange hole in the center. Switzerland, Austria & Liechtenstein are the only Central European countries that ...
- 52k
13
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is signing security pacts with other countries within the UK government powers?
On May 11th 2022, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed security pacts with Sweden and Finland. Is this something the Government could do without passing any legislation through Parliament and ...
- 1,704
13
votes
4
answers
2k
views
What is the risk of Russia invading Baltics?
Back in the late 70s and early 80s, US Department of Defense was readily preparing for USSR invasion of Iran, which turned out to be a complete blunder in intelligence. Are we experiencing the same ...
- 233