CRS Issue Statement on NATO (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
June 24, 2010 |
| Report Number |
IS40353 |
| Authors |
Paul Belkin, Coordinator, Analyst in European Affairs |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2009.While NATO members can point to several significant accomplishments since the end ofthe Cold War, the Alliance faces a host of new challenges that might well define thepurpose and role of NATO in the 21st century. At the same time, most observers agree that the111th Congress and the Obama Administration are likely to continue to view NATO as the keyalliance through which to confront security threats to the Euro-Atlantic community, including theprincipal threats of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. For the shortand medium term, most analysts expect NATO's political agenda to be dominated by its missionin Afghanistan (the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF), by its relations with Russia,and by the drafting of a new strategic concept for the Alliance
