What is Nato and what does it stand for?
NATO is a multi-country defence allegiance which is at the heart of the international response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Measures discussed and implemented by the organisation could determine whether war breaks out.
What is Nato and what does it stand for?
Nato, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, is an intergovernmental military alliance established in 1949.
Nato was founded after World War II, mainly to block Soviet expansion into Europe.
It was formed with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949 by 12 member states.
Since then it has expanded to 30 member states.
The organisation is considered to be the largest and most powerful military alliance in history.
It is committed to individual liberty, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law with all decisions taken by consensus.
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The permanent headquarters of Nato is in Brussels where the Secretary-General chairs senior decision-making bodies.
The current Secretary-General is former Prime Minister of Norway Jens Stoltenberg.
Summit meetings are not regular, heads of government and state meet at key moments in the Alliance’s evolution.
Summits are used, for example, to introduce a new policy, invite new members into the Alliance, launch major initiatives, and reinforce partnerships.
Which countries are members of Nato?
In 1949, there were 12 founding members of the Alliance.
These were: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Other member countries who have joined since are:
- Greece and Turkey (1952)
- Germany (1955),
- Spain (1982),
- Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland (1999),
- Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia (2004)
- Albania and Croatia (2009)
- Montenegro (2017)
- North Macedonia (2020)
- Finland (2023)
Sweden has also put in an application to join which is currently pending.
What is the purpose of Nato?
Nato aims to safeguard the freedom and security of its members through political and military means.
It was established primarily to keep Europe safe by deterring any attack.
In 1949 this involved stopping Soviet expansion, preventing a revival of nationalistic militarism in Europe, and encouraging European political integration.
But with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the demise of the Warsaw Pact, Nato was left with no obvious purpose.
Over time the organisation has changed and was at the heart of proceedings as Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Their policies include Article 4 and Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty - where members pledge to come to the aid of any member state under attack.
What is Article 5?
Article 5 states that if a Nato ally is the victim of an attack, every other member of the alliance will consider this act of violence as an attack against all members and will take the actions it deems necessary to assist the ally attacked.
When has Article 5 been invoked?
Article 5 has only been invoked once, following the September 11 attacks in America.
Less than 24 hours after the 9/11 attacks, and for the first time ever in Nato's history, the allies invoked the principle of Article 5.
There were consultations among the allies and collective action was decided by the Council. The US could also carry out independent actions, consistent with its rights and obligations under the United Nations Charter.
On 4 October, once it had been confirmed the attacks came from overseas, Nato agreed to support the US through eight measures.
On the request of the US, it launched its first ever anti-terror operation – Eagle Assist – from mid-October 2001 to mid-May 2002. This consisted of seven Nato AWACS radar aircraft which helped patrol the skies over America.
How is Nato funded?
Each country pays a certain amount into the Nato budget based on an agreed formula.
Nato requires member states all spend two per cent of their country's wealth on defence.
The United States contributes the most to the alliance, funding around 70 per cent of Nato spending.
This adds up to roughly £501billion, or two-thirds of total spending on national budgets.
According to 2017 figures, Greece is the second highest giver, spending roughly two per cent of its GDP, with the UK coming a close third.
Luxembourg is the tightest Nato ally, according to 2017 figures, spending less than 0.5 per cent of its GDP.
Belgium and Spain are the second and third worst offenders paying roughly 0.9 per cent to the alliance.
Some nations are not required to meet the two per cent GDP target if they spend a lot of money on new military equipment and contributions to Nato operations.
Only five Nato Nations meet the 2 per cent target, including Britain.