·       Established in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty (Washington Treaty) as a transatlantic political and military alliance.

·       NATO’s headquarters is located in Brussels, Belgium.

Original Purposes:

·       Deterring Soviet expansionism during the Cold War.

·       Preventing the resurgence of nationalist militarism in Europe.

·       Promoting European political integration.

Important NATO Policies:

·       Article 5: Establishes a system of collective defence, stating that an attack against one member country is considered an attack against all member countries, obligating collective response.

·       Article 10: NATO membership is open to any other European state that upholds treaty principles and contributes to the security of the North Atlantic area.

Founding Member Countries (1949):

·       Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, and United States.

·       Since its establishment in 1949, NATO’s membership has expanded from the original 12 founding countries to 32 through ten rounds of enlargement.

·       Besides Sweden and Finland, other countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Ukraine are aspiring to join NATO, provided they align with NATO principles and contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area.