POLITICAL SCIENCE

NATO Role in Contemporary Global Security

NATO Role in Contemporary Global Security

Introduction

The formation of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was often characterized as a result of the threat posed by the Soviet Union. However, the creation of the alliance was to cater to broader aspects and serve purposes such as deterring the expansion of Soviet, forbidding the revival of nationalist military in Europe and encouraging European political incorporation. However, today the next strategic step for NATO needs to be put in place (Christopher, 2010). In a recent summit at Strasbourg it was decided that the organization needed a new strategy.This paper shall discuss whether in the current format there is a need for NATO's existence to cater to global security needs (Bunde 2013). Further, the legitimacy and effectiveness of NATO's role in global security and the reasons behind its existence are looked at. The aim is to grasp an understanding of how US foreign policy, International organizations and European security come under this and affect it.

Discussion

The question if NATO did not exist today wills the United States have to actually create it as a lot of aspects to be seen. When it was first created in 1949, it made sense since the world was going through a difficult phase when there was Soviet invasion and it worked to fortify the North Atlantic area (Bunde 2013). However, in the current environment, if the United States had to start from scratch is a source of great debate and the call to follow liberal or neoconservative approach will have to be made (33-minutes.com 2008). Today, the world is facing transnational threats and there is a need for global alliance of democracies to develop a great power to uphold international order and justice.Therefore, if US do not want to start from the beginning, NATO still plays a vital role in creating collaborations in the world affairs. The allies in the group have a common interest in avoiding disturbances in the global economy (33-minutes.com 2008). The democracies are mainly threatened by forces of Islamic extremism and the rise of demanding states.Further, NATO provides legality to the overseas action conducted by the United States and Europe gets to show it has power. It provides leaders of American and European states to develop ties with each other and fight against those who are a common enemy. Many observers thought that with the end of Soviet power, the NATO will vanish; however, the alliance has become busier than ever. The fighting of a war in Afghanistan, dispute in the region of Somalia and peace keeping procedures in other areas have become the order of the day. The members have grown from 16 at the end of Cold War to 28 in 2009 and cover a majority of the European continent.

Relevancy of NATO Today

The purpose of NATO was straightforward as for forty years its main task stayed to defend itself from challenges which was similar to the strategies used by military. The alliance had no need to select a particular ...