NATO: An FPRI Primer

In this FPRI Primer, Ron Granieri explores the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), its history, its development, and its continued importance for the preservation of the world order.

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Essay:

NATO Primer

NATO: An FPRI Primer

Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution grants the President the power to negotiate alliances with the “Advice and Consent of the Senate.” Presidents made limited use of that power in the first century and a half of American history, following the precedent set by the first President. In his Farewell Address, George Washington declared: “It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.” Washington believed that the most sensible course for the young Republic to preserve its own independence and freedom was to stay out of any alliances, and especially to steer clear of any connection to the ongoing geopolitical contest among the great powers of Europe. Following Washington’s example, his successors relied on trade agreements and isolationist proclamations such as the Monroe Doctrine and Roosevelt Corollary to keep American forces on this side of the Atlantic, and Europeans out… Read More

 

Lesson Plan:

NATO Primer

NATO: An FPRI Primer

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