Welcome to NATO

Ambassador Joseph M. DeThomas

What is the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization? People often describe it as a military alliance. However, even more important than NATO's role as a military organization, it is, first and foremost, a group of nations that makes two commitments. The first is to democracy and free markets. The second is to agree that an attack on one member is an attack on them all.

The first question that the already existing members of the alliance would ask any nations seeking NATO membership is not how many tanks they have, but rather, are they permanently committed to democracy and to free markets. The second question an applicant is asked is whether it is prepared to join with other members in common defense of democratic values.

Next, NATO would ask whether the people of the applicant nation support its joining. It is noteworthy that NATO does not solicit members. Rather, potential member nations ask NATO for permission to join, and then they must pass through a very rigorous preparation process. That process puts as much emphasis on political and economic reform as it does on defense.

Estonia has proven its commitment to democracy; and wants, rightly, to be recognized internationally and permanently as being among Europe's democracies. NATO membership achieves this for Estonia. At the same time, NATO membership will provide a level of security and stability, unprecedented in Estonian history, that will guarantee that this democracy endures and flourishes.

For many decades after World War Two, only the western half of Europe enjoyed the prosperity and the personal freedom that came with democratic governance. When President George W. Bush called for a Europe "whole and free….from the Baltic to the Black Sea" in Warsaw in 2001, he was pushing for a NATO that would protect these same benefits farther east, embracing, among others, Estonia. This was not a call to expand the alliance in conflict with any other nation, but rather a call to give the countries of this part of Europe the predictability and security they need to develop their own societies.

This security comes with a responsibility as well. The NATO allies have learned to work together for common security in the decades since the alliance's formation, but it costs money and it demands manpower and commitment. We have learned that no country is too small to contribute to security and no country is so large that it does not need the help of its friends. The only time that the common defense provisions of the NATO treaty have ever been invoked was in response to the September 11 attacks on the United States. This dual role as security consumer and security provider will apply to Estonia as well, in its capacity as a future NATO member.

Some ask, "Who is NATO's enemy? Against whom is NATO expanding?" NATO is against no country. It is for the security of its members and their democracies. The alliance is not organized to fight a war against any particular nation but rather to prevent a return of the conditions that brought two world wars and divided the continent during the previous century. NATO strives to create an atmosphere of security, predictability and cooperation that renders a repeat of the worst chapters of the twentieth century unthinkable.

Furthermore, the peace that NATO brings to Europe does not stop at the Narva River. NATO reaches out to cooperate with its neighbors to the East, serving as a model and an incentive for the development of democracy there. All NATO member nations and Russia benefit from a formal mechanism -- the NATO-Russia Council -- to discuss and quickly resolve areas of disagreement and to identify areas for cooperation.

Such areas for cooperation include fighting terrorism, fighting illegal trade in narcotics, joint search and rescue operations, and other military-to-military liaison. NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) program enables cooperation between NATO member states and the military forces of nations as far east as Central Asia. NATO helps PfP nations with training their military forces, and encourages PfP nations to develop democratic control of these forces.

On behalf of one of NATO's founding members, I'd like to close with a message to readers of Molodjozh Estonii. NATO membership brings responsibilities, but it brings even greater benefits. NATO has extended its invitation to Estonia. When the enlargement ratification procedure is complete in all NATO member states, I look forward to greeting you with a hearty "Welcome to NATO!"