Enlargement of NATO
Map of NATO countries chronological
membership.
Enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) is the process of in-
cluding new member states in NATO. NATO
is a military alliance whose organization con-
stitutes a system of collective defense. The
process of joining the alliance is governed by
Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty and by
subsequent agreements. Countries wishing to
join have to meet certain requirements and
complete a multi-step process involving polit-
ical dialogue and military integration. The ac-
cession process is overseen by the North At-
lantic Council, NATO’s governing body.
During the Cold War, NATO grew with the
admission of the West Germany, Greece, Tur-
key, and Spain. After the Cold War ended,
and Germany reunited, there was a debate
about continued expansion eastward.
In
1999, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Re-
public were added to the organization, amid
much debate within the organisation and
Russian opposition.[1][2] Another expansion
came with the accession of seven Northern
European and Eastern European countries:
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia,
Bulgaria, and Romania. These nations were
first invited to start talks of membership dur-
ing the 2002 Prague summit, and joined
NATO on March 29, 2004, shortly before the
2004 Istanbul summit. Most recently, Croatia
and Albania joined NATO on April 1, 2009,
shortly before the 2009 Strasbourg–Kehl
summit.
Future expansion is currently a topic of
debate in many countries. The Republic of
Macedonia and Cyprus are stalled from ac-
cession by current members pending the res-
olution of international disputes. Other coun-
tries which have a stated goal of eventually
joining include Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Montenegro, Georgia, and Ukraine. The in-
corporation of former Warsaw Pact countries
has been a cause of
increased tension
between NATO countries and Russia.
Historical enlargements
See also: List of members of NATO
NATO has added new members six times
since
its
founding in 1949, and NATO