Nato: Is It Worth the Trouble?

For over forty years the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has formed an essential element of international security. Focused squarely on the military threat to the West from the Soviet Union and its allies in Eastern Europe, Nato provided a common focus for the collective defense of Europe and the United States. Despite periodic strains to the fabric of the organization, such as the 1966 French withdrawal from the integrated military structure, and recurrent debates over policy and costs within the populations of the member states, Nato, as an entity, has persevered

Did It Really Matter?

On 4 November 1979 a group of Iranian militants and students stormed the walls of th American Embassy compound in Tehran, setting in motion a chain of events which led to the largest concentration of US naval power ever assembled in the Indian Oce an. By early December two carrier battle groups (CVBGs) were patrolling the northern reaches of the Arabian Sea. Apart from a peripheral role in the aborted rescue attempt, however, these forces were not used during the crisis. Ostensibly, their presence gave US policymakers a range of military options. For various reasons these options were not practicable, which tends to call into question the utility of the naval presence. Did it really matter

Confrontation in the Gulf: Unintended Consequences

By invading Kuwait, Saddam Hussein has once again become the catalyst of change in the Middle East. As in the case of his decision to invade and annex the oil fields of southwestern Iran in 1980, he may have calculated that he could achieve his 1990 goals in Kuwait quickly; but just as he did not foresee the fanatical response from [ran, he did not foresee that his actions in Kuwait would forge a new coalition of nations to oppose him. The ultimate result is not yet apparent, but what has already become clear is that Saddam\u27s actions will again have serious but completely unintended consequences, both for Iraq and the world