This research paper examines whether the United States should remain a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Its thesis is that the United States should give notice of its intention to withdraw from NATO for the following reasons: (1) the original threats which induced the United States to play a leading role in the creation of NATO have substantially diminished for the foreseeable future; (2) the current expansion of NATO into Eastern Europe and regional conflicts runs counter to the vital national security interests of the United States and at some point is probably unconstitutional; and (3) faced with more pressing priorities at home and abroad, the United States should induce the Europeans to assume primary responsibility for its own security.
Lord Ismay, the British first Secretary General of NATO, said that its purpose was "to keep the Americans in, the Russians out, and the Germans down." In-depth analysis of the considerations which led to the creation of NATO and sustained its unity for most of its 47 year old history suggests that they are no longer present and that attempts to prop up its tottering structure or to expand its role are not consistent with American vital interests.
In retrospect, it was in the geopolitical interests of the United States and its Western allies to create NATO in 1949. Twice in this century, American military intervention was necessary to counter the threat of German hegemony. After the end of the First World War, America withdrew into isolation. In 1945-1946, the great American army in Europe was rapidly demobilized. In 1947-1948, a series of events occurred which awakened Western Europeans and the United States to the threat posed by the Soviet Union. Europe was prostrate economically and vulnerable to the threat of communist subversion. The Europeans had begun to organize themselves economically with American financial assistance through the Marshall Plan. On March ...