North Atlantic Treaty

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

The North Atlantic Treaty begins by calling for peace and for the preservation of the common values of the North Atlantic nations. It invokes the charter of the United Nations by pledging to refrain from the use or threat of force and to find peaceful means for settling disputes. Nevertheless, the parties promise to “maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack.” The core of the treaty is contained in Article 5: “The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.” Additionally, the parties agree that “if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence . . . will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.” It is noteworthy that the language of the treaty is slightly ambiguous, for it does not obligate any member state to take up arms but rather to take such action “as it deems necessary.” Also noteworthy is that the treaty's geographical reach extends to territories north of the Tropic of Cancer (the latitude above which is much but not all of the Northern Hemisphere).

Additional provisions of the treaty include recognition that the United Nations will retain its primary role as a peacekeeping body; that the member states cannot enter into any treaty that is in conflict with the North Atlantic Treaty; that mechanisms will be set up to allow the member nations to consult with one another rapidly in times of crisis; that the organization can invite other nations to join; that the treaty is to be ratified in each member nation; and that the treaty will be reviewed after ten years, and after twenty years, a member nation can withdraw.