What is NATO and why was is it important to the West?

NATO was the first peacetime military alliance the United States entered into outside of the Western Hemisphere. The United States viewed an economically strong, rearmed, and integrated Europe as vital to the prevention of communist expansion across the continent.

How many countries are there in NATO 2020?

30 member
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is an international alliance that consists of 30 member states from North America and Europe….Member countries.

Member state	North Macedonia
Capital	Skopje
Accession	27 March 2020
Population	2,125,971
Area	25,713 km2 (9,928 sq mi)

How many countries were in NATO before the enlargement?

Past enlargements. NATO has added new members seven times since its founding in 1949 to include twenty-nine members. Twelve countries were part of the founding of NATO: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

What countries joined NATO after the Cold War?

After the Cold War ended, and Germany reunited in 1990, there was a debate in NATO about continued expansion eastward. In 1999, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic joined NATO, amid much debate within the organization and Russian opposition.

What caused the tension between NATO countries and Russia?

The incorporation of countries formerly part of the Eastern Bloc and the Soviet Union has been a cause of increased tension between NATO countries and Russia . Negotiations in London and Paris in 1954 ended the allied occupation of West Germany and allowed for its rearmament as a NATO member.

Which countries have signed the NATO accession protocol?

North Macedonia signed an accession protocol to NATO on 6 February 2019. Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only other country with a Membership Action Plan, which together with Georgia, were named NATO “aspirant countries” at the North Atlantic Council meeting on 7 December 2011.