04/27/2002

EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-09849

NATO LOOKS TOWARD THE FUTURE

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization will hold a summit in Prague in November. Perhaps the most pressing issue facing NATO is how to meet the global terrorist threat.

NATO responded to September 11^th by declaring the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to be an attack on all NATO members. Since then, NATO nations have joined the U.S. in the war against al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. In Afghanistan, British Royal Marines recently launched an operation to flush al-Qaida out of a mountain range in southeastern Afghanistan.

To carry out the war on terrorism, alliance members will have to speed the modernizing of their militaries. As President George W. Bush said, "We. . .need to commit the resources that will allow NATO’s forces to do their jobs. The decline in defense spending amongst NATO nations must be reversed."

Adapting to new realities also means admitting new members. Countries that aspire to NATO membership include Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Albania, and Macedonia. They need to strengthen their military preparedness and, in some cases, their commitment to democracy.

A third area of focus is NATO’s relationship with Russia. As President Bush said, NATO must continue to forge a new relationship with Russia and fully abolish the divisions that are a relic of a previous era.

NATO has played a critical role in unifying the European continent. NATO prevailed in the Cold War and stopped genocide in the Balkans. Tens of thousands of peacekeeping troops are still deployed in that region to help stabilize it.

Through its Partnership for Peace, NATO has promoted military cooperation with countries throughout Europe and the former Soviet Union. Central Asian countries, including Uzbekistan, ended up making essential contributions to the war against terrorism in Afghanistan. As President Bush said, "We must never lose sight of what NATO does and what it stands for, how it safeguards prosperity and protects democracy in an ever-widening Europe."