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 Enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is the process of including new member states in NATO. NATO is a military alliance of currently democratic states in Europe and North America whose organization constitutes a system of collective defence. The process of joining the alliance is governed by Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty and by subsequent agreements. Countries wishing to join have to meet certain requirements and complete a multi-step process involving political dialogue and military integration. The accession process is overseen by the North Atlantic Council, NATO's governing body. During the Cold War, NATO grew with the admission of Greece, Turkey, West Germany, and Spain. After the Cold War ended, and Germany reunited, there was a debate in NATO about continued expansion eastward. In 1999, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic were added to the organization, amid much debate within the organisation and Russian opposition.[1][2] Another expansion came with the accession of seven Northern European and Eastern European countries: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania. These nations were first invited to start talks of membership during the 2002 Prague summit, and joined NATO on March 29, 2004, shortly before the 2004 Istanbul summit. Most recently, Albania and Croatia joined on April 1, 2009, shortly before the 2009 Strasbourg–Kehl summit. Future expansion is currently a topic of debate in many countries. Cyprus and Macedonia are stalled from accession by, respectively, Turkey and Greece, pending the resolution of disputes between them. Other countries which have a stated goal of eventually joining include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Georgia, and Ukraine. The incorporation of former Warsaw Pact countries has been a cause of increased tension between NATO countries and Russia. Mikhail Gorbachev reportedly agreed to allow the democratisation of Eastern Europe after being promised that NATO would not expand "one inch to the east."[3]
[edit] Historical enlargementsSee also: List of members of NATO NATO has added new members six times since its founding in 1949, and NATO comprises twenty-eight members. Twelve countries were part of the founding of NATO: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1990, with the reunification of Germany, NATO grew to include the former country of East Germany. Between 1994 and 1997, wider forums for regional cooperation between NATO and its neighbors were set up, including the Partnership for Peace, the Mediterranean Dialogue initiative and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. In 1997, three former communist countries, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland, were invited to join NATO. After this fourth enlargement in 1999, the Vilnius group of ten East European countries formed in May 2000 to cooperate and lobby for further NATO membership. Seven of these countries joined in the fifth enlargement in 2004. Albania and Croatia joined in the sixth enlargement in 2009.
[edit] Criteria and process[edit] Article 10Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty describes how non-member states may join NATO:
This article poses two general limits to non-member states. European states are eligible for membership and these states need the approval of all the existing member states. The second criterion means that every member state can put some criteria forward that have to be attained. In practice, NATO formulates in most cases a common set of criteria, but for instance in the case of the Republic of Cyprus, Turkey blocks its membership as long as the Cyprus dispute is not resolved. Greece opposes Turkey's admission to the European Union for the same reason.[5] [edit] Individual Partnership Action PlanMain article: Individual Partnership Action Plan  NATO began the Individual Partnership Action Plans programme at the 2002 Prague Summit, as a mechanism to tailor relations with specific countries, which may include eventual membership. The programme is also used for countries not intending to join NATO, but that require the additional diplomatic resources. Plans have so far only been implemented with countries already members of the NATO-organized Partnership for Peace. As of 2009, Individual Partnership Action Plans are in implementation with seven countries: Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Montenegro, and Serbia. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Serbia and Kazakhstan have stated they have no desire to join NATO. Georgia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina ,on the other hand, are actively working towards future NATO membership.
[edit] Intensified DialogueIntensified Dialogue is viewed as a additional stage before being invited to enter the alliance Membership Action Plan (MAP), that may compliment that country's Individual Partnership Action Plan. As of 2008, four countries are engaged in an Intensified Dialogue with NATO:
[edit] Membership Action PlanThe Membership Action Plan (MAP) mechanism is the stage in the procedure for nations wishing to join where their formal applications are reviewed by the current members. The mechanism was approved in the 1999 Washington summit. A country's participation in MAP entails the annual presentation of reports concerning its progress on five different measures:[11]
NATO provides feedback as well as technical advice to each country and evaluates its progress on an individual basis.[12] Once a country is agreed to meet the requirements, NATO can issue that country an invitation to begin accession talks. As of December 2009, two countries have a Membership Action Plan: Macedonia and Montenegro. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Ukraine have all expressed interest in receiving MAPs. The final accession process, once invited, involves five steps leading up to the signing of the accession protocols and the acceptance and ratification of those protocols by the governments of the current NATO members.[13] [edit] Future enlargementMontenegro and Macedonia are currently the only countries with a Membership Action Plan. In 2008, Greece blocked an invitation to its northern neighbor, pending resolution of the Macedonia naming dispute.[14] Macedonia was part of the Vilnius group, and had formed the Adriatic Charter with Croatia and Albania in 2003 to better coordinate NATO accession.[15] Georgia and Ukraine are countries whose possibility of a Membership Action Plan has caused much debate, while Bosnia and Herzegovina remains involved in Intensified Dialogue. NATO is unlikely to invite countries such as Austria, Finland, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland, where popular opinions do not support NATO membership. The policies of neutrality in these countries along with widespread public disapproval of membership make them incompatible with NATO.
[edit] Membership Action Plan countries[edit] MacedoniaMain article: Accession of Macedonia to NATO .JPG) NATO's invitation to Macedonia was blocked by Greece at the 2008 Bucharest summit. NATO nations agreed that the country would receive an invitation upon resolution of the Macedonia naming dispute.[14] Greece feels that its neighbor's constitutional name implies territorial aspirations against its own region of Greek Macedonia. After the veto, Greece was sued in the International Court of Justice, over the use of "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" as an acceptable option to enter NATO with. Greece may also block Macedonia's accession to the European Union over the naming dispute.[21] A poll following the summit showed that 82.5% of citizens surveyed opposed changing the constitutional name in order to join NATO.[22] NATO membership in general is supported by 85.2% of the population.[23] Elections were called following the 2008 summit, resulting in further support for the center-right pro-NATO party, VMRO–DPMNE. The elections were marred by violence that was criticized by NATO members.[24] The country joined the Partnership for Peace in 1995, and commenced its Membership Action Plan in 1999, at the same time as Albania. Participating in the 1999 NATO intervention in Kosovo, it received aid from NATO in dealing with refugees fleeing from Kosovo. In August 2001, NATO intervened in the 2001 insurgency, during which a rebel Albanian group, the National Liberation Army, fought government forces. In Operation Essential Harvest, NATO troops joined with the Macedonian military to disarm rebel forces following a cease-fire agreement.[25] [edit] MontenegroMain article: Accession of Montenegro to NATO Montenegro declared independence from the former country of Serbia and Montenegro on June 3, 2006. The new country subsequently joined the Partnership for Peace programme at the 2006 Riga summit. In November 2007, Montenegro signed a transit agreement with NATO, allowing the alliance's troops to move across the country.[26] Montenegro then signed an agreement with the United States, in which Montenegro will destroy its outdated weaponry as a precondition for NATO membership.[27] In late 2007, Montenegro's Defence Minister Boro Vučinić said that Montenegro would intensify its accession to the alliance after the 2008 Bucharest summit.[28] Montenegro has received support for its membership from many NATO countries, including Romania and Turkey.[29][30] Montenegro adopted an Individual Partnership Action Plan in June 2008 and was invited to join the Adriatic Charter of NATO aspirants on September 25, 2008.[15][31] The country applied for a Membership Action Plan on November 5, 2008 with support of Prime Minister Milo Đukanović[32], which was granted in December 2009.[17] The present political climate in Montenegro supports NATO admission. Exceptions include the Serb List political alliance which cites the NATO 1999 bombing campaign of the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and fiercely opposes any recognition of independence of Kosovo and blames NATO for its independence.[citation needed] The Liberal Party of Montenegro also favours military neutrality.[citation needed] According to the June 2008 poll, 26.3% of Montenegrins are in support of NATO membership, 46.7% are opposed and 27% are without opinion.[33] Montenegro has begun to contribute to NATO military missions. The country plans to deploy 40 soldiers, a three member military medical team, and two officers under German command to Afghanistan in 2010. Montenegrin peacekeepers will also be deployed to Liberia and Somalia.[34] [edit] Intensified Dialogue countries[edit] Bosnia and Herzegovina The 1995 NATO bombing of Bosnia and Herzegovina targeted the Bosnian Serb Army and together with international pressure led to the resolution of the Bosnian War and the signing of the Dayton Agreement in 1995. Since then, NATO has led the Implementation Force and Stabilization Force, and other peacekeeping efforts in the country. Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the Partnership for Peace in 2006, and signed an agreement on security cooperation in March 2007.[35] The nation began further cooperation with NATO within their Individual Partnership Action Plan in January 2008.[20] Bosnia then started the process of Intensified Dialogue at the 2008 Bucharest summit.[36] The country was invited to join the Adriatic Charter of NATO aspirants on September 25, 2008.[15] Then in November 2008, a joint announcement from the Defence Minister and NATO Mission Office in Sarajevo suggested that Bosnia and Herzegovina could join NATO by 2011 if it continues with the reforms made in the defence-area so far.[37] In January 2009, Defence Minister Selma Cikotić again confirmed Bosnia's interest in seeking a Membership Action Plan (MAP) at the 2009 summit, with membership by 2012 at the latest.[38] In February 2009 The Defence Minister of BiH Selmo Cikotic presented some poll numbers on NATO-membership: 70% of the country supports NATO-membership; However while 89% of the Federation Entity supports NATO-membership, only in 35% RS-entity did.[citation needed] While the country did not receive a MAP at the April 2009 summit in Strasbourg–Kehl, Stuart Jones, an official of the US State Department, said on a September 2009 visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina that NATO was going to look at the possibilities for them to receive one in a December 2009 summit, repeating strong US support for the possibility. Then on October 2, 2009, Haris Silajdžić, the Bosniak Member of the Presidency, announced official application for Membership Action Plan.[citation needed] [edit] Countries promised eventual membership[edit] GeorgiaMain article: Georgia–NATO relations  Georgia has moved quickly following the Rose Revolution in 2003 to seek closer ties with and eventual membership of NATO. Georgia's powerful northern neighbor, Russia, has opposed the closer ties, including those expressed at the 2008 Bucharest summit where NATO members promised that Georgia would eventually join the organization. Complications in the relationship between NATO and Georgia includes presence of Russian forces in Georgian territory as a result of multiple recent conflicts, like the 2008 South Ossetia war, over the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, both of which are home to a large number of citizens of the Russian Federation. A nonbinding referendum in 2008 resulted in 77% of voters supporting NATO accession.[39] [edit] UkraineMain article: Ukraine–NATO relations At the beginning of 2008, the Ukrainian President, Prime Minister and head of parliament sent an official letter to apply for the Membership Action Plan. The idea of Ukrainian membership in NATO has gained support from a number of NATO leaders.[40] At the 2008 Bucharest summit, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer declared in a press conference that Georgia and Ukraine will join NATO. Within the NATO-Ukraine working commission, NATO officials reassured Ukraine officials that they are willing to invite their country to join the Alliance. The Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, Alexander Grushko, announced that NATO membership for Ukraine was not in Russia's best interests and wouldn't help the relations of the two countries.[41]  According to numerous independent polls conducted since 2002, Ukrainian public opinion on NATO membership is split, with the majority of those polled against joining the military alliance and many identifying it as a threat.[42][43] According to the FOM-Ukraine pollster, as of April 2009, 57% of Ukrainians polled were against joining the alliance, while 21% were in favour.[44] A Gallup poll conducted in October 2008 showed that 45% associated NATO as a threat to their country, while only 15% associated it with protection.[45] Protests, such as the Crimean anti-NATO protests of 2006, have taken place by opposition blocs against the idea, and petitions signed urging the end of relations with NATO. Influential Ukrainian politicians like Yuriy Yekhanurov and Yulia Tymoshenko have stated Ukraine will not join NATO as long as the public continues opposing the move.[46] This was also confirmed by a March 6, 2008 agreement between the parliamentary coalition and opposition parties which says that any international agreements regarding Ukraine’s entry to NATO must be decided by referendum. Recently the Ukrainian government started an information campaign, aimed at informing the Ukrainian people about the consequences of membership.[42][47] [edit] Relations with other countries
[edit] ArmeniaArmenia has signed up for the Partnership for Peace programme and the Individual Partnership Action Plan,[48] but Armenia is likely not going to join NATO as it is seen as often more allied with Russia and being a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Armenia pulled out of its participation in NATO military exercises in Georgia on May 8, 2009, because of NATO's Secretary-General's alleged support of Azerbaijan, possibly making it even more unlikely that Armenia will eventually join NATO.[49] [edit] AzerbaijanAccording to a NATO diplomatic source in August 2009 some key officials at NATO headquarters in Brussels were pushing hard for engaging Azerbaijan on the membership question. "Turkey, Romania, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom and the Baltic states" are among the members backing a fast track for Azerbaijan's NATO membership. While President Ilham Aliyev has generally supported neutrality since his rise to power in 2003, Azerbaijan has however hosted NATO military exercises and high profile meetings in 2009.[50] The unresolved conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh would present a major roadblock to membership.[citation needed] [edit] FinlandFinland is participating in nearly all sub-areas of the Partnership for Peace programme, and has provided peacekeeping forces to the Afghanistan and Kosovo missions. A 2005 polls indicated that the public was strongly against NATO membership.[51] The possibility of Finland's membership in NATO was one of the most important issues debated in relation to the Finnish presidential election of 2006.[52] The main opposition candidate in the 2006 election, Sauli Niinistö of the National Coalition Party, supported Finland joining a "more European" NATO.[52] Fellow right-winger Henrik Lax of the Swedish People's Party likewise supported the concept. On the other side, president Tarja Halonen of the Social Democratic Party opposed changing the status quo, as did most other candidates in the election. Her victory and re-election to the post of president has currently put the issue of a NATO membership for Finland on hold for at least the duration of her term. Finland could however change its official position on NATO membership after the new EU treaty clarifies if there will be any new EU-level defence deal, but in the meantime Finnish Defence Forces are making technical preparations for membership, stating that it would increase Finland's security.[53] Currently no political party explicitly supports NATO membership. Other political figures of Finland who have weighed in with opinions include former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari who has argued that Finland should join all the organizations supported by other Western democracies in order "to shrug off once and for all the burden of Finlandization".[54] Another ex-president, Mauno Koivisto, opposes the idea, arguing that NATO membership would ruin Finland's relations with Russia. Finland has received some very critical feedback from Russia for even considering the possibility of joining NATO.[55] In October 2009, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen reiterated that Finland had no plans to join NATO, and stated that the main lesson of the 2008 South Ossetia war was the need for closer ties to Russia.[56] [edit] MoldovaMoldova has stated it is not going to join NATO. It has participated in the Partnership for Peace programme and the Individual Partnership Action Plan. The former communist government was seen as more allied with Russia and is already a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States. In April 2009 Moldova announced it would not participate in the June NATO military exercises.[57][58] The new ruling party, the Alliance for European Integration, elected in the Moldovan parliamentary election, July 2009, has declined to so far take any action to either move it toward membership, or withdraw from the Commonwealth of Independent States, and denies plans to do either.[59] [edit] RussiaMain article: NATO–Russia relations In April 2009, the Polish Foreign Minister, Radosław Sikorski, suggested including Russia in NATO, although Russia clearly does not intend to join at the moment, preferring to keep cooperation on a lower level. The Russian envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, is quoted as saying "Great powers don't join coalitions, they create coalitions. Russia considers itself a great power."[60] Relations between Russia and NATO were strained throughout late 2008, due to Georgia's action in South Ossetia and the overwhelming Russian response and have also been strained in May 2009 when NATO expelled two Russia diplomats over accusations of spying. It has also added to the tension already created by proposed NATO military exercises in Georgia, as the Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said,
[edit] Serbia Serbia originally determined in 2005, as Serbia and Montenegro, to join NATO.[citation needed] The subsequent independence of Montenegro and Kosovo have strained relations between Serbia and NATO. Serbia however joined the Partnership for Peace programme during the 2006 Riga Summit. While this programme is sometimes the first step towards full NATO membership, it is uncertain whether Serbia perceives it as signaling an intent to join the alliance. NATO historically fought Bosnian-Serbian forces during the Bosnia war and Serbia during the 1999 Kosovo conflict.[62] Following NATO's open support to Kosovo's declaration of independence in January 2008, support for NATO integration greatly dropped. An earlier poll in September 2007 had showed that 28% of Serbian citizens supported NATO membership, with 58% supporting the Partnership for Peace.[63] The only political party which currently supports NATO integration is the minor opposition Liberal Democratic Party. The Democratic Party abandoned its pro-NATO attitude, claiming the Partnership for Peace is enough. Although current Serbian priorities do not include NATO membership, the Alliance has offered Serbia an invitation to enter the intensified dialogue programme whenever the country is ready.[64] On October 1, 2008, Serbian Defence Minister Dragan Šutanovac signed the Information Exchange Agreement with the NATO, one of the prerequisites for fuller membership in the Partnership for Peace programme.[65] [edit] SwedenIn 1949 Sweden chose not to join NATO and declared a security policy aiming for non-alignment in peace and neutrality in war. A modified version now qualifies non-alignment in peace for possible neutrality in war.[citation needed] As such, the Swedish government decided not to participate in the membership of NATO because they wanted to remain neutral in a potential war. This position was maintained without much discussion during the Cold War. Since the 1990s however there has been an active debate in Sweden on the question of NATO membership in the post-Cold War world.[citation needed] These ideological divides were visible again in November 2006 when Sweden could either buy two new transport planes or join NATO's plane pool, and in December 2006, when Sweden was invited to join the NATO Response Force.[66][67] While the governing parties in Sweden have opposed membership, they have participated in NATO-led missions in Bosnia (IFOR and SFOR), Kosovo (KFOR) and Afghanistan (ISAF).[citation needed] The Swedish Centre Party and Social Democratic party have remained in favour of non-alignment.[68][69] This view is shared by the Green party, Left party and the Christian Democrats.[70][71][72] The right wing Moderate Party as well as the Liberal party are the only parties with representation in the parliament today that are in favour of NATO membership.[73][74] Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt stated on September 18, 2007 that Swedish membership in NATO would require a "very wide" majority in Parliament, including the social democrats, and coordination with Finland.[75] A 2005 poll indicated that 46% of Swedes were opposed to NATO membership, with 22% supporting it.[76] Another poll in May 2008 showed that 37% of the Swedes are in favour of a membership, while 41% are against. The support has risen dramatically since March 2008, when only 29% were in favour.[77] [edit] References
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