NATO’S Partnership for Peace
Uploaded by mebassakwards on Oct 26, 2011
This paper examines NATO’s Partnership for Peace initiative; what it is, the background of the concept, and successes and failures. (10.5 pages; 8 sources; APA citation style)
I Introduction
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was created, in part, to support the Charter of the United Nations with regard to mutual defense in case of armed aggression against any of the signatories to the North Atlantic Treaty. Article 1 of the Treaty, signed on April 4, 1949, states:
“The Parties undertake, as set forth in the Charter of the United Nations, to settle any international dispute in which they may be involved by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and justice are not endangered, and to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations.” (“The North Atlantic Treaty”, Undated, PG).
Both the UN and NATO were formed very shortly after the Second World War, and are expressly designed to deter such horrors from ever happening again. The Partnership for Peace, which is a part of NATO, was created in 1994.
II Partnership for Peace
Although the Partnership for Peace (PfP) has significantly expanded its role since its inception in 1994, the basic premise of the organization is one of military cooperation; i.e., a partnership among and between nations that “aims at enhancing respective peacekeeping abilities and capabilities through joint planning, training and exercises…” (“Partnership for Peace”, undated, PG).
The PfP initiative was introduced at the North Atlantic Council Summit Meeting in Brussels in January 1994 with the aim of increasing security and stability throughout Europe. The invitation to join the PfP was extended to “all states participating in the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) and other states participating in the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) able and willing to contribute to the programme.” (“Partnership for Peace”, undated, PG).
The NACC was established in December 1991 against the background of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the tumultuous events surrounding its collapse. At the time, diplomatic contacts between NATO and Eastern and Central European countries had been intensifying, and the formation of the NACC was simply a formalization of the ongoing contacts. The membership of NACC was initially comprised of the members of NATO and nine Central and Eastern European countries. In March 1992, “participation...