A Personal Opinion About the Establishment of the UN and NATO

Today, the people live in a world of relative peacefulness. Yes, there have been two wars in the last few years in the Balkan regions, but these wars only involved two countries at a time. Contrary to the belief of many Americans, the US. was not in Bosnia or Kosovo for the purpose of fighting a war, They were there to keep peace in the region and to stop the inhumane acts being committed by the leaders of a few countries The reason that the United States was even brought into these regions in the first place was because of their involvement in alliances such as the Nonh Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United Nations.

Many people support the United States efforts in the UN because of the world-wide scope of problems that it deals with. Lately, however, many prominent republicans in the senate and house of Representatives are speaking out against the involvement of the USA in NATOю

This is because NATO is a regional organization.

All but two of the countries involved are in or around Europe The republicans ask what the U.S.’s purpose is in such an alliance They also feel that the European countries are using NATO as a financial crutch. With NATO members, specifically the US., watching over them, much like a big brother watches over his younger siblings, they take the money that would normally be spent on building up a military and use it for to bolster their nations industries. They can now provide benefits to their citizens such as lowered tax rates, federalized health care, and increased pay to government officials, All of which the United States now has to forgo because of the increase in the amount of money they are spending on trying to keep Europe a safe place to live.

Get quality help now

Dr. Karlyna PhD

Verified

Proficient in: Military

4.7 (235)

“ Amazing writer! I am really satisfied with her work. An excellent price as well. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

It seems like a logical argument, NATO was established in 1949.

The 12 original members: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Iceland, ltaly, Norway, and Portugal. all came together to stop the spread of communism during the cold war. The alliance soon included Greece, Turkey, and West Germany; Spain toojoined the list of allies. With the inclusion of the former Soviet bloc and Warsaw Pact countries of Poland. Hungary and the Czech Republic in 1998 the republican’s argument became stronger, and it seemed as though NATO no longer had a purpose. What the republicans do not look at, however. are the benefits of helping the countries of Europe. With stable political climates come stable markets in these countries. With such a large number of the world’s markets in a stable condition, US. business has a much better chance of having their goods bought and sold overseas, Republicans on Capitol Hill also make the argument that our military is being over- extended and cannot handle the high deployment rate that is required, Most say that if the need be, the US. could not fight a two-front war, like it did in World War 11.

They feel that the nations of Europe are not doing enough to build up their own armies and, again, are relying on the US. to protect them. Simply enough, thisjust isn‘t true. Both Britain and Germany now have sizable militaries, and planes from the Royal Dutch Air Force attributed to the air campaign in Kosovo. Many of the other countries should not be expected to have militaries as big as ours. They don t have populations or countries as big to support such a military. And the two-front war argument is antiquated. The future of warfare is not in global— scale wars, but instead in regional conflicts. it is very likely that these wars will not be fought so much on the ground, but by computers via satellite and by remote control vehicles. With the increased technology involved with cruise missiles and biological weapons, it is a doubtful that a US. soldier would have to come anywhere close to a battlefield.

The future of European militaries is already in the making. With the unveiling of Eurocorps in 1993, came influence in the way Europe will run a military that will be in place for a long time. Eurocorps is a multinational army formed by Germany and France to symbolize the postwar bond between the two countries. Soon after its creation Belgium, Spain. and Luxembourg joined the ranks. Now numbering 50,000 strong, Eurocorps has begun to help in the Kosovo campaign and has begun training for future conflicts. According to Demos, a think-tank supported by Tony Blair, England, Europe‘s most significant military power, may soon combine forces with Eurocorps as well. Some may say that NATO is no longer necessary because Eurocorps is stepping up to take its place.

However, one must look at Eurocorps and realize that they are a young army. It needs to be NATO’s place [0 train Eurocorps. Gradually as the multinational force gains maturity and can stand on its own, NATO should subside and allow it to do what it was created for. With Eurocorps then protecting Europe, there can’t possibly be a need for NATO, some will say. This is when NATO’s job will be as important as it has ever been, if not more. NATO will no longer need to be a military organization but will begin to focus its aim as a political and economic organization. They will need to act as a liaison between the European Union and outsiders such as Greece and Turkey.

They will in fact become a true peace-keeping organization. As one can see, the United States should not reduce its involvement in NATO. Instead, we should listen to the words that President Harry Truman spoke about the organization over fifty years ago, the free people of this world look to us for support in maintaining their freedoms. If we falter in our leadership, we may endanger the peace of our world-<and we shall surely endanger the welfare of our own nation. The words he spoke could not ring truer today. Our nation’s welfare, both political and economic rely on the US. remaining a member of NATO.