Why was NATO founded in the aftermath of World War II? How did it evolve after the collapse of the Soviet Union? What has changed with the war in Ukraine? To answer these questions, presenter Daniel Desesquelle speaks to:

• Muriel Domenach, Ambassador, Permanent Representative for France on the North Atlantic Council
• Admiral Henri Schricke, French Military and Defence Representative to NATO and the European Union
• Camille Grand, Former Assistant Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance from 2016 to 2022

Origins of NATO

To Muriel Domenach, “in a way, the formation of the Atlantic family has its origins in the Allied Landings [on 6 June 1944], the 80^th anniversary of which we recently commemorated. (...) At the end of World War II, the American, British, French and Canadian allies wanted to forge a lasting alliance to avoid new wars in Europe.” After the signing of several mutual assistance treaties (the 1947 Treaty of Dunkirk and the 1948 Treaty of Brussels), NATO was founded in 1949. “It establishes the American presence in Europe and the U.S. security guarantee. (…) Article 5 of the Treaty is the Organisation’s cornerstone. Known as the ‘musketeer clause’, it provides that if a NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, the members will assist that Ally, including through the use of armed force,” adds Muriel Domenach.

NATO’s 1991 Transformation

In 1991, the USSR was dissolved, giving way to the Russian Federation. For NATO, the period that followed was that of the ‘peace dividends’. Relations between the Western and Russian blocs eased. Muriel Domenach remembers the 1990s and 2000s which saw “the creation of a NATO-Russia Council with a whole series of working, cooperation and dialogue groups. (...) There was this dual movement, with NATO attracting Central and Eastern European countries, while a framework emerged for dialogue and cooperation with Russia.” For his part, Camille Grand explains how “the period after the Cold War was also one of external intervention when NATO conducted out-of-area operations, i.e. moving outside its role defending the European continent to take part in crisis management missions, first in the Balkans, then in Afghanistan and Libya, for example.”

The war in Ukraine reshuffles the cards

“In 2022, following Russia’s attack on Ukraine, NATO went back to basics, i.e. to its role in the collective defence of the European continent,” stresses Camille Grand. This war in Europe reignited the risk of conflict on Alliance territory. In this context, “NATO reverted to its core activity of defending Europe to prevent the risk of horizontal escalation,” affirms Camille Grand. “But without turning the war into a conflict between NATO and Russia.” The deterrent and defence capabilities of the Alliance revived its attraction. Finland and Sweden joined in 2024, “two countries with a strong tradition of neutrality but which, in the current context, have chosen to join the Atlantic Alliance,” adds the former Assistant Secretary General. In 75 years, the number of Member States has risen from 12 in 1949 to 32 today.