The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been a linchpin in the U.S.-European defense structure since its founding in 1949. The end of the Cold War has been hailed as a major shift in world political power and as evidence of a less dangerous international climate, and this has also called into question the need for the continuation of NATO, among other defense alliances. The founding of NATO was a major post-war accomplishment for the mutual defense of Europe and the North Atlantic region. Throughout its history, NATO has been almost as much a source of internal tension among members as it has been an effective defense tool. Yet, NATO is seen as perhaps the most successful defensive alliance in history and remains today the only truly functioning security organization in Europe (Ullman, 1991, p. 53). A look back at the circumstances of the creation of this organization will show some of the forces that brought members together and some of the goals they set for themselves and the organization.
At the end of World War II, much of Europe was devastated from the fighting, and Germany was partitioned and under the joint command of the United States, Russia, France, and Great Britain. The first concern of the Allies was that Germany not be able to develop another war machine as had happened after World War I, and only secondarily did they begin worrying about one another. During the war, the common goal of defeating Nazi Germany was what kept the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom together in a "grand alliance." As the war drew to a close, it was clear that the four powers' attempts to find solutions to questions concerning the occupation and administration of a defeated Germany would do much to determine the nature of postwar relations between allies. The U.S. government, however, entered the postwar period without a well-defined German policy in spite of a recognition of the importance of such a...