Cord Byrd: “the Senate is considering whether Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary should be admitted to the North Atlantic…”

“the Senate is considering whether Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary should be admitted to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This is one of the most important foreign policy issues to be considered by the Senate in recent years, and the outcome will shape the future direction of NATO and our military relationship with our European allies. In addressing this question, we should begin with the fundamentals, by examining the past and future purpose of NATO. NATO is a collective security military alliance, with the original purpose of defending Western Europe from a possible attack by the Soviet Union and its allies in the Warsaw Pact. When considered from that perspective, NATO stands as one of the most stunningly successful alliances ever conceived. Not just because it maintained the peace for over forty years--other alliances in human history have kept the peace for longer periods of time. The success of NATO cannot be judged merely by time, but also by the scope of its mission. For, unlike previous military alliances, NATO was not intended merely to prevent another conventional war, but also to deter nuclear war. At stake was--and still is--nothing less than the preservation of global civilization, and the world owes a debt of gratitude to the alliance and its leaders for maintaining the peace.…”