The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (or as they say in French le Organization du traité de l'Atlantique Nord (OTAN)), It began as a military alliance of governments under the North Atlantic Treaty (April 4, 1949). Since its inception, NATO, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, has focused on a cooperative defense structure. He translates this structure as meaning that member states respond to a common and mutual defense against attack by a non-NATO aggressor. From the original 12 member states there are now 28 participants in this organization committed to keeping the alliance strong and vital in a changing world order. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Initially, NATO began as a political body, more inclined towards discussion rather than action. This changed when the Korean War spurred member states into action and established a military command structure under the leadership of two U.S. supreme commanders to effectively deal with the situation brewing in Korea. As NATO's first Secretary General, Lord Ismay, stated, the organization's goal was to “keep the Russians out, the Americans in and the Germans down”.[4] World War II alliances with the Russians had taken a hit as the battles turned ideological with communism on one side and democracy represented by the West and NATO on the other. As for the Germans, there was underlying mistrust as they had been responsible for both world wars and only four years after their surrender was NATO formed. Germany eventually became and is a full, vital member of the organization. The alliance had some initial credibility problems, as the evolving relationship between the European members and the United States was in flux (as always). The fact that NATO would not be able to stand together against a Soviet invasion was a significant achievement. As a sign of its coldness towards the alliance, and basically as a vote of no confidence, the French developed their own nuclear arsenal and withdrew from the NATO military structure in 1966 and have not rejoined that aspect of NATO since. In 1955, in retaliation to NATO, the Soviet bloc countries started their own alliance, the Warsaw Pact, thus creating a common antipathy towards each alliance. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. In 1989, following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany, NATO focused its attention on the unrest in the Balkan states and the problems brewing in that region. At the same time, NATO has created stronger and more lasting ties with former Warsaw Pact adversaries and has been so successful that several of these states joined the alliance between 1999 and 2004. On April 1, 2009, NATO membership has reached the current 28 states. with the entry of Albania and Croatia into the alliance.[5] Because of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, NATO refocused its mission on the fight against terrorism, rather than on the Eastern Bloc, and set out to face new and more difficult confrontations in other regions of the world. The alliance provided troops to Afghanistan and trainers to Iraq to fulfill treaty obligations to a member state, in this case the United States, that was attacked.