Romania - a part of a complex and durable system: NATO
In an
international context, after the ending of the Cold War, NATO has had an
essential role for the Euro-Atlantic consolidation of the security. On a force
negotiation base which increases substantially in the last decade, NATO has opened and has
developed the politico-military partnership, cooperation and has consolidated
dialogue with other states, culminating with the affiliation of new members,
including Romania.
From 1945 to
1949, faced with the pressing need for economic reconstruction, Western
European countries and their North American allies viewed with concern the
expansionist policies and methods of the USSR. Having fulfilled their own
wartime undertakings to reduce their defence establishments and to demobilise
forces, Western governments became increasingly alarmed as it became clear that
the Soviet leadership intended to maintain its own military forces at full
strength. Moreover, in view of the declared ideological aims of the Soviet
Communist Party, it was evident that appeals for respect for the United Nations
Charter, and for respect for the international settlements reached at the end
of the war, would not guarantee the national sovereignty or independence of
democratic states faced with the threat of outside aggression or internal
subversion. The imposition of undemocratic forms of government and the
repression of effective opposition and of basic human and civic rights and
freedoms in many Central and Eastern European countries as well as elsewhere in
the world, added to these fears.
Between 1947 and
1949 a series of dramatic political events brought matters to a head. These
included direct threats to the sovereignty of Norway,
Greece, Turkey and other Western European countries, the
June 1948 coup in Czechoslovakia,
and the illegal blockade of Berlin
which began in April of the same year. The signature of the Brussels Treaty of
March 1948
marked the determination of five Western European countries - Belgium, France,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom - to develop a
common defence system and to strengthen the ties between them in a manner which
would enable them to resist ideological, political and military threats to
their security.
Negotiations
with the United States and Canada then followed on the creation of a single
North Atlantic Alliance based on security guarantees and mutual commitments
between Europe and North America. Denmark, Iceland,
Italy, Norway and Portugal were invited by the
Brussels Treaty powers to become participants in this process. These
negotiations culminated in the signature of the Treaty of Washington in April
1949, bringing into being a common security system based on a partnership among
these 12 countries. In 1952, Greece
and Turkey
acceded to the Treaty. The Federal Republic of Germany
joined the Alliance in 1955 and, in 1982 Spain
also became a member of NATO. The Czech
Republic, Hungary
and Poland
joined NATO in 1999.
The North
Atlantic Alliance was founded on the basis of a Treaty between member states
entered into freely by each of them after public debate and due parliamentary
process. The Treaty upholds their individual rights as well as their
international obligations in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
It commits each member country to sharing the risks and responsibilities as
well as the benefits of collective security and requires of each of them the
undertaking not to enter into any other international commitment which might
conflict with the Treaty.
Between the
creation of the Alliance
and the present day, half a century of history has taken place. For much of
this time the central focus of NATO was providing for the immediate defence and
security of its member countries.
Today this
remains its core task, but its immediate focus has undergone fundamental change.
NATO's essential
purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of all its members by
political and military means in accordance with the North Atlantic Treaty and
the principles of the United Nations Charter. The Alliance
has worked since its inception for the establishment of a just and lasting
peaceful order in Europe based on common
values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. This central Alliance objective has taken on renewed significance since
the end of the Cold War because, for the first time in the post-war history of Europe, the prospect of its achievement has become a
reality. NATO embodies the transatlantic link by which the security of North
America is permanently tied to the security of Europe.
It is the practical expression of effective collective effort among its members
in support of their common security interests.
Developments of
major significance for the entire European continent and for international
relations as a whole continued as the year progressed. By the end of 1989 and
the early weeks of 1990, significant progress had been made towards the reform
of the political and economic systems of Poland
and Hungary; and in the
German Democratic Republic, Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia and Romania,
steps had been taken towards freedom and democracy which went far beyond
expectations.
The promise held
out for over 40 years to bring an end to the division of Europe, and with it an
end to the division of Germany,
took on real meaning with the opening of the Berlin Wall in November 1989.
Beyond its fundamental symbolism, the member countries of the Alliance
saw this event as part of a wider process leading to a genuinely whole and free
Europe. The process was as yet far from
complete and faced numerous obstacles and uncertainties, but rapid and dramatic
progress had nevertheless been achieved. Free elections had taken place or were
planned in most Central and Eastern European countries; former divisions were
being overcome; repressive border installations were being dismantled; and,
within less than a year, on 3 October 1990, the unification of the two German
states took place with the backing of the international community and the
assent of the Soviet Government, on the basis of an international treaty and
the democratic choice of the German people as a whole.
Both the fact
and the prospect of reform brought about major positive changes in the
relationships of Central and Eastern European countries with the international
community, opening up a new and enriched dialogue involving East and West,
which offered real hope in place of the fear of confrontation, and practical
proposals for cooperation in place of polemics and stagnation.
Such changes
were not accomplished without difficulty and, as events within the former
Soviet Union and other parts of Central and Eastern Europe
confirmed, could give rise to new concerns about stability and security. The bold
course of reforms within the Soviet Union
itself led to new challenges as well as severe internal problems. Moreover the
dire economic outlook and the major difficulties experienced in many of the
countries of Central and Eastern Europe in managing the transition from
authoritarian government and a centrally planned economy to pluralist democracy
and a free market combined to make political forecasting uncertain and subject
to constant revision.
Throughout this
period NATO continued to play a key role, providing the framework for
consultation and coordination of policies among its member countries in order
to diminish the risk of crises which could impinge on common security
interests. The Alliance
pursued its efforts to remove military imbalances; to bring about greater
openness in military matters; and to build confidence through radical, but
balanced and verifiable arms control agreements, verification arrangements and
increased contacts at all levels.
At the NATO's
summit in Prague which took place between the 21st
and the 22nd of November in 2002, was adopted the decision to invite
seven new countries to join the Alliance.
Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria
and Romania
have started negotiations with a view to adhere to the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization.
The invitations
addressed to the seven new countries to join NATO, and their real chances to
become in one or two years full members of this Organization, represented a
"robust extension", transforming NATO from a "western European structure", into
a structure covering the whole Europe, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea and
from the Atlantic to the external limits of the Community of Independent
States.
It was a very important
transformation, which was bringing NATO in direct contact with two zones of
instability: the former Soviet Union and the Middle East.
That's new situation undoubtedly influenced the future activity of NATO.
For Romania, the invitation
to adhere to NATO has had a high political significance, higher than for other
States invited. The reason is that for all the candidate countries to NATO,
except Romania and Bulgaria, the
horizon of their integration into the European Union is 2004, practically at
the same moment with their accession to NATO. For Romania, joining the European Union
was a longer prospective. The year 2007 was mentioned by the Romanian
authorities, without having any assurance that it will be respected. That's
why, for Romania,
this invitation represented the only official inclusion in a key structure of
the Western Democracies. At the same time, this invitation for Romania was a
clear support for the continuation of the democratic process and of the
economic reform in our country.
Under this
circumstances which were the main consequences and priorities for Romania in the
next period to come. The first priority was to concentrate, in the next three
to four months, on negotiating and signing the accession documents between Romania and
NATO. After their signature, a clear priority was concentrated on the
ratification of these legal documents by the Parliaments of all 19 NATO Member
States, permitting thus a full accession of Romania by the year 2004. The
second priority was to offer the necessary resources for continuing the reform
of the Romanian Army. The recommendation of NATO for candidate countries was to
allot 2% of their GDP for military expenditures. From the public data appeared
that Romania
was the biggest contributor of the candidate countries. A third priority for
Romania was to re-launch the effort for increasing the efficiency of the
national policy and the national system devoted to fight against the
international terrorism and the danger of proliferation of mass destruction
weapons. A fourth priority for Romania was to continue to be an active
participant in the Partnership for Peace Program and to devote serious
diplomatic efforts for a Policy to the East, first of all for a policy devoted
to developments of good relations with Russia. Last but not least, the priority
of the priorities for Romania
in the period to come was the acceleration of the restructuring of Romanian
economy in order to arrive as soon as possible at a functioning market economy.
The biggest problem for our country in the prospective of joining NATO was
poverty and corruption.
In my opinion, at
this moment Romania has the
potential and the capacity of participating actively in the Alliance, in the military operations and its
missions, but although in the initiatives and conceptual evolutions planning.
On one hand the
acceptance of Romania as a
member with full-fledged in the Alliance
will influence positively the situation from the neighboring countries,
encouraging the efforts of consolidation democracy in the region. At the same
time Romania will try to improve
its role in the development of relations between NATO and states from Caucaz
and Central Asia, starting with good relations
of cooperation with the states from that's regions.
On the other
hand we can't avoid the advantages and the opportunities that's came insight,
but also we can't avoid the menaces or the common risk factors to which Romania
has to response with efficiency as being a member of the Alliance. The
affiliation to NATO is supposing direct and indirect advantages, on a long
term, which are crucial for the development of Romania as a stabile, democratic
and prosper state. As a member of NATO, Romania
for the first time in its history, capitalize on an extremely important
security guarantee and it will participate directly at taking political decisions,
essentials for Europe's security. Without
doubt NATO integration implies a financial effort more reduced than the one
that Romania
should do for assuring security itself.
In conclusion, we
can talk about a historical moment, a moment when Romania is a part of a complex and
durable system of collective defending, a guarantee of security and recognizing
for whole Romanian society. Although our efforts for reaching economic and
social intern equilibrium don't stop here, I believe that Romania has a
considerable potential for becoming politically and military a real regional
leader.
Bibliography:
"NATO Handbook" - NATO Office
of Information and Press 1110, Brussels,
2001
"Romania's Accession to NATO after
the Prague Summit", In Euro-Atlantic Studies, 2002 - Teodor Melescanu
"Romania vs. NATO: viziune si
valori comune. Transformarea leadership-ului romanesc", Prep.univ. Silviu Nate,
Universitatea "Lucian Blaga", Sibiu
