NATO Enlargement and the Former European Neutrals (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
April 8, 1998 |
| Report Number |
97-249 |
| Authors |
Stanley R. Sloan, Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
With the NATO enlargement process now underway, Europe's former neutral states Austria,
Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Ireland are re-evaluating the role they should play in the
changing European security setting. In Austria, there is a major political debate dividing partners
in the governing coalition over whether or not to seek NATO membership. The key role of NATO
in European security has created both opportunities and dilemmas for the former neutrals. On the
one hand, their governments recognize that the new global environment has removed the Cold War
rationale for a posture as a "neutral" in the international system. On the other hand, many people
in these countries still value to a degree their country's nonalignment. Political elites are divided
concerning how to advance their country's interests in the new setting. All of the former neutrals
except Switzerland are members of the European Union (EU), bringing them part-way into the
transatlantic security community, even though they are not NATO members. All except Ireland have
joined NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) program, involving them directly in many NATO
activities. The position of the former neutrals outside the Alliance could appear increasingly
anomalous as Central and East European states begin joining NATO over the next few years.
Members of Congress might wish to consider how the enlargement process might affect decisions
by the former neutrals about their relationship to, and potential membership in, the Alliance.
