NATO: Identity, Role, and Function in the Post-Cold War Era

Abstract

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established in response to the emerging Soviet threat in the wake of World War II. The alliance created a successful balance to this perceived threat by effectively deterring further Soviet expansion or aggression in Europe. This job of deterrence was not disputed as NATO’s primary function during the period from 1949 to 1991. However, once the Eastern bloc surprisingly disappeared — and did so peacefully — there were many predictions that NATO would dissolve, which had been the pattern with previous alliances and shifting international configurations. However, this has not been the case. Twenty-one years after the demise of NATO’s primary adversary, the alliance continues to operate. This raises the question of why NATO continues to exist.