As devastation rains upon the fields of Ukraine, strategists from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization meet in Brussels and discuss the escalating crisis in Ukraine. They hold a summit about the humanitarian aid needed and the response to this escalation. However, this meeting has revitalized NATO’s purpose: the containment of Russia while also reassembling the building blocks that form NATO. 

NATO was founded on April 14th, 1949. From the ashes of Europe, a new political entity strung forth. Their purpose is, according to the NATO website, to fulfill three purposes: deterring Soviet expansionism and nationalism in mainland Europe, and increasing the amount of North American influence in Europe. This statement directly included the deterrence of the Soviet Union and has served as the main idea throughout the Cold War. 

This quote exemplifies the direct shift of power from mainland Europe to North America, and more specifically, the United States of America. The formation of NATO in the treaty of Brussels renamed the World War II name, the Allies. The main power base of the Allies was in Britain, and the shift of power after the war was due to the influx of influence from the United States in Europe.

The idea of a formation of states that unifies Europe is a statement that the U.S. uses to keep the identity of Europe firmly in their sphere of influence. During the Cold War, the United States needed a slice of power in mainland Europe to be considered a global superpower, and NATO was its solution. It also needed a sufficient amount of debt and trade that the US could use to make countries in Europe bend to its will. With this in mind, the US rebuilt Berlin and gave 182 billion dollars to over 16 countries in Europe in an act called the Marshall Plan. In this act of kindness, the United States earned the trust of Europe as a whole.

By the end of the Cold War, it seemed that NATO had served its purpose. The block of free states destroyed the Soviet Union. The identity of Europe was kept unified and democratic. However, the idea of NATO still stood as a way for the United States to keep its influence on Europe. By the start of 2010, the core idea of Soviet deterrence faded into a smudged painting of conquering terrorism, economic aid, and political influence.

The war in Ukraine has empowered NATO and the onset of the war has brought in two nations that have historically fought for neutral relationships with Russia: Sweden and Finland. NATO has united in its purpose of helping Ukraine win their war. The countries of Europe have taken in millions of refugees fleeing the war. 

However, NATO, without a purpose, is at the brink of collapse. The idea of a united Europe uniting against Russia is the idea of a century gone past. The countries that form NATO have gone from an alliance of war torn nations to an integrated continent. My personal opinion is that the connected world has made it so that the logic of deterrence is flawed. There are more ways to gain influence in today’s society including trade, economic aid, and political help.

With the onset of a new superpower in the East, I believe NATO has to expand to keep its identity. It needs to expand to include countries like Australia, Japan, and South Korea. These countries all are under Western influence and have a common enemy in China. I think that all of this expansion would not only serve the original goal of deterrence but also help NATO become an intercontinental superpower.