NATO was established in April 1949 by signing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a treaty signed with the Soviet Union after World War II. The purpose of the establishment of this military organization is the collective security of its member nations. That is to say, it was established with the objective of protecting any NATO member state from any foreign attack or threat.
The military alliance was formed by the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) on April 4, 1949. Its founding members were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
From its inception to the present day, NATO has 12 founders, including 12 founders: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, turkey, and Spain. Countries have already joined NATO. NATO is constantly trying to increase its power and put pressure on Russia.
NATO expanded to include Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia in 1999. Even then, Russia said it would not expand NATO and adhere to a verbal agreement. Albania and Croatia joined NATO in 2004, Montenegro in 2009, and Northern Macedonia in 2017. In 2021, NATO added Bosnia, Herzegovina, Georgia, and Ukraine to its list of “willing member” countries. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, Western nations promised to disband Russia, but that did not happen. Instead of halting its expansion, NATO, led by the United States, sought to expand, and Russia-influenced countries became members of NATO.
In 1997, NATO joined Russia’s sphere of influence, including Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, and Estonia. NATO did not stop there. In 2021, Ukraine and Georgia were announced to join NATO. Despite Russia’s opposition, the United States continues to increase the number of NATO members, experts say.
According to an earlier report in the New York Times, the main reason for NATO’s expansion is its direct involvement with major US defense companies. Companies such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are pushing the US government to expand NATO in order to create a bigger market. The world’s largest arms market is dominated by these big US companies. According to a report, if a country becomes a member of NATO, it will have to abide by the rules of military organization and buy billions of dollars worth of weapons and equipment from Western countries.
Under this, if a country buys a fighter jet from an American company, it will have to take flight simulators, spare parts, electro map, and engine repair equipment. Similarly, that country should take transport aircraft, utility helicopters, and attack helicopters. In addition, modern military equipment, including military communications equipment, computers, radar, and radio equipment are included.
Defense companies in the West, especially the United States and the United Kingdom, make a lot of money from the sale. The United States recently signed agreements with several countries, including Germany, to sell F-35 fighter jets.
Poland has currently signed a 6 billion tanker agreement with the United States. In addition, Romania and many other countries have purchased large quantities of arms from the United States. Former US President Bill Clinton has also said that “NATO expansion is in our national interest”. According to the report, if a country joins NATO, it will have to spend billions of dollars. NATO member states must increase their defense budgets. American companies are directly benefiting from this.
According to SIPRI, a global arms dealer, US companies are at the forefront of the arms market. The United States is in the top 100 companies in the world. In 2020, 41 US companies sold 285 billion. This is 54 percent of the total arms sales worldwide. These top 100 companies sold 531 billion worth of weapons by 2020. This sale of arms is increasing.
To promote NATO’s expansion, US defense companies are donating billions of dollars to the country’s presidential candidates. Presidential elections in the United States are one of the most expensive in the world, which is why every president is pressured into favoring these companies’ charities. After winning the election, these companies urge the president to promote their business. That is why, after the expansion of NATO in 1997, the countries of Eastern Europe began to give importance to American weapons instead of Soviet fighter jets and weapons.
Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, tensions between the United States and Russia over NATO expansion are high. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has threatened Western nations to halt NATO expansion. Despite this threat, the United States stands firm.
At present, the expansion of NATO is creating a war-like situation between the US and Russia. Russia has invaded Ukraine to stop NATO expansion on its borders and has been waging a fierce war for days. Russia is seeking assurances from the West that Ukraine will not join NATO. On the other hand, NATO countries, including the United States, have said that any independent country is free to join its military organization.
Moreover, the United States and other NATO nations continue to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine. Despite the threat of nuclear war from Russia, the United States has been adamant about expanding with the main purpose behind which US and British defense companies seem to be earning a decent income. -Yogendra Pratap Shahi (This is the author’s own personal opinion, translated with the help of Google)
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