THE BENEFITS OF NATO

Preserving peace and stability - Today, we often take it for granted that we can walk around freely in a safe and economically stable environment. Security in all areas of every day life is key to our well-being. NATO contributes to this environment by promoting cooperation and developing strong ties of solidarity among its 19 members, therefore reducing the risk of conflict. In short, NATO gives members the opportunity to discuss security issues of common concern. The Alliance also pushes cooperation beyond the political and military fields, for instance in areas such as science and the environment where the preservation and management of natural resources and the protection of health are a priority.

The Alliance does not seek these benefits for its members alone. NATO's partner countries also benefit from this security environment and from their active cooperation with NATO.

Strength in numbers - The action of a group of countries is more effective than the action of one country on its own. It is a more powerful deterrent. NATO has the capacity to engage in military action when all political and diplomatic solutions to a conflict have failed. According to the founding treaty of the Alliance, if a NATO member is the victim of an armed attack, each and every other member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack against all members. This is the principle of collective defence which makes a potential attacker more reluctant to take action against a NATO member country or ensures that such an attack will be met with a robust collective response. NATO will also consult with a partner country under threat.

Doing more with less - NATO does not have armed forces of its own. NATO is an organisation which coordinates the efforts of its members, enabling them to pool their capabilities and know-how when needed. Since action is taken jointly, defence is more cost-effective and solid for all members. According to their national resources, members can participate in operations they would not be able to undertake or afford on their own. The resulting sense of equal security among the members of the Alliance contributes to stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. NATO partners and other non-NATO members also participate in NATO activities and multinational operations such as peacekeeping in the Balkans. In the long-run, they benefit from this cooperation by acquiring experience and expertise that will help them reinforce the development of civil societies based on the values that NATO defends: democracy, human rights and the rule of law.