What are NATO troops doing in a non-NATO country?

Question

I thought that NATO was an alliance to help defend other NATO countries.

Answer 1

The real reason that NATO took over in Afghanistan is to justify and establish the president of having US troops under foreign command. In the past, every time this has been proposed it was DOA with Congress and the Pentagon. This was just sort of sneaked in under the wire....

Answer 2

I don't think you quite understand how NATO works: Despite popular opinion, the NATO charter does NOT oblige all members to partake in wars carried out by any other member (which is why, for example, there was no NATO involvement in the Falklands War). It is simply a mutual defence agreement that requires all members to respond to an attack by any third party on any other NATO member in whatever manner they are able...which MAY be outright war, or it may be as simple as public condemnation. And, while it was originally created to prevent the anticipated Soviet invasion of Europe, the fact that it is located on 2 widely-seperated continents makes it practically invulnerable to any current, or any likely future, opponent. During the Cold War, if the Soviets had attacked Europe first, the counter-attack would have come from North America... if they had attacked North America first, then the European nukes that are located just a few hundred miles from Moscow would have been in the air within a few minutes. Despite having a sufficiently large nuclear arsenal to attack BOTH the US and Europe at the same time, the sheer uncertainty of the expected response from 2 different continents was enough for the notion to be ultimately considered a no-win situation by the USSR...and that still hasn't changed: ANYONE considering an attack on Europe would still have to consider the response from North America... likewise, any planned attack against North America would also have to contend with retaliation coming from 3,000 miles away in Europe. Those advocating the dissolution of NATO always convenienty forget that latter fact...NATO isn't comething that was somehow forced on the US; it is actually a US invention, and it benefits US security just as much as European security (not just now, but right from the start; lets not forget that, had it been successful, the much-anticipated Soviet invasion of Europe during the Cold War would have been IMMEDIATELY followed by a nuclear attack against the US. Stopping the Soviets in Europe would have stopped the destruction of the US itself). (Incidentally, the 25 other nations (apart from the US and the UK) that have lost troops in combat in Afghanistan might have something to say about the notion of only being involved in reconstruction and road work. Having less people on the ground doesn't makes combat deaths any easier.)

Answer 3

The U.S., a NATO country, was attacked by forces trained in Afghanistan on 9-11-01. The NATO defense clause went into effect. There was even NATO AWACS aircraft flying around the U.S. Not every NATO country is in Afghanistan and not all have been assigned to actually fighting the Taliban. The SEATO (South East Asian Treaty Organization) clause went into effect too and that's why there are Japanese and Australians in Afganistan. I don't know if CENTO (middle Eastern Allies) and the OAS (the Americas) clauses went into effect. They probably did, but were probably tamed down.

Answer 4

That changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Their first foray into outside wars was the Clinton attack on Serbia. Many of us objected to the continuance of NATO and the new offensive thrust of the NATO forces. Many of us had a problem with the profound lack of 1000's upon 1000's of Kosovars in mass graves that was the great reason for our non-UN-approved and unprovoked attack upon Serbian civilian targets.

I have been a supporter of disbanding NATO and getting the US out of Europe since the USSR disintegrated, because there is no longer a reason for our presence (or for spending our $$ there).

Answer 5

You are comparing apples to oranges. We are in NATO for now at least and we are in a non-Nato country trying desperately to stop mass murders, oppression, and other horrendous things. It would be nice as a by-product of this tyranny that the people who want it will choose democracy. The other NATO countries believed in what we are doing and jumped in to help.

Answer 6

It is responding to the terrorist attack on 9/11 by terrorist and the govt of taliban in Afghanistan. It so happens that the USA is part of NATO and it was attacked and the other countries are doing what they are obligated to do attack and defeat all attackers on a NATO country.

Answer 7

NATO troops are standing by American forces in a non NATO country for helping US in war on terror which is a good thing but i personally feel that NATO is doing all that beyond its mandate.

Answer 8

THAT IS why we should dissolve NATO. It is irrelevant. We created it to deal with the Warsaw Pact. The Pact is defunct and defeated, ergo NATO is irrelevant.

Answer 9

psst.

If they were in a NATO country we would be fighting a friend.

Just thought I would let you know all the NATO countries happen to be on our side.

Answer 10

NATO is worthless!

FRANCE SHOULD BE THROWN OUT OF NATO, THEY ARE NOT WORTHY OF BEING CALLED NATO ALLY!