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Example research essay topic: Eastern European Countries Foreign Policy Goals - 1,424 words

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One of the most fiercely debated topics in United States foreign policy is whether or not to expand the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Europe. There are many arguments on both sides of the argument, ranging from abolishing the alliance due to the exorbitant costs of maintenance, to expanding NATO to achieve security in a region that is historically violent. Although both sides have some valid arguments, the benefits of expanding NATO outweigh the negatives. Expanding NATO will achieve three very important goals: first, it will promote democracy in areas that are politically unstable; second, it will give the United States a foothold in a strategically vital region of the world; and lastly, it would provide for greater security in a region that is historically violent.

Critics of expanding the security alliance employ many arguments to further their cause. Owen Harries, writing in Foreign Affairs (v 72, n 4, Sep/Oct 1993: 41 - 53), argues that NATO should not be expanded. One of the main reasons, he writes, is that expanding NATO would be perceived as a threat by a currently wounded Moscow, and that in turn would have unintended consequences for the West (Harries 43). NATO was formed after the second World War for the sole purpose of containing Soviet (and by association, Russian) aggression. Historically, Russia has looked at NATO as an anti-Russian organization. Also, all of NATO's current members are vastly different politically and historically than Russia.

If NATO were to expand, Harries believes that "it could well provide a catalyst that would enable extreme chauvinistic elements in Russia to exploit frustrations, resentments, and wounded national pride in ways that would have unpleasant consequences both internally and internationally"! (43). Another argument that NATO opponents make is that the West cannot be trusted by the Eastern European countries that are clamoring to join NATO (Harries 43). They Arif 2 substantiate their argument by providing historical examples. Harries says that "given the pathetic performance of Western countries in the Bosnian crises, the proposal [to expand NATO] suffers from a massive credibility problem" (43). Harries also gives examples of the West's betrayal of the East by going further back in history: technically withdrawing from the Pragmatic Sanction, dishonoring the Locarno Treaty, and the French failure to honor their obligation to Czechoslovakia at Munich (43).

The argument that follows is that such behavior by the West raises legitimate questions about the West's "political seriousness and willingness to bear responsibility when it comes to the test" (Harries 43). A third argument made against expansion of the security alliance is the costs associated with doing so. There are many costs involved in expanding NATO: military casualties, military presence, and monetary costs (44). "Given the extent of the region's problems and its propensity for violence, [joining NATO] would amount to the acceptance of a potentially extensive peacekeeping and peacemaking role", Harries writes (44). Many nations may not be up to the task when they are called upon to devote valuable resources into a prolonged mission.

One military figure estimated that it would take 300, 000 to 400, 000 troops stationed for up to two decades to maintain stability in just the Balkans (Harries 44). Also, there is a high likelihood of casualties in any military intervention. "The terrain of most of Eastern Europe and the Balkans, as well as the passionate hatred that often characterized the region's quarrels, would not allow for military action that was both effective and cheap! in terms of casualties", Harries states (46). The last main argument that is made against expansion is the lack of clear defined goals for NATO. Opponents argue that "NATO does not remotely resemble a great Arif 3 power, with well-defined interests over a range of issues and a well-developed will of its own" (Harries 44). Opponents claim that there is a serious lacking of a central mission for NATO since its main adversary, Russia (or the Soviet Union) is no longer a threat.

Also, diversifying NATO any further by including Eastern European countries would complicate any efforts to find a new clearly stated mission, when already foreign policy goals for Germany vary wildly compared to foreign policy goals for the United States or France. Harries states that "an effort to save NATO by finding a new role for it might end up having the effect of hastening the alliance's demise" (45). Proponents of expanding NATO believe that there are far more benefits than negatives by letting more countries join the security alliance. One main argument they give is the potentially catastrophic consequence of the Soviet Union's fragmentation: nuclear weapons stockpiles in the hands of nations experiencing waves of instability and conflict (Asmus 29). Proponents of NATO expansion argue that the security alliance can start to focus on balancing the threat of nuclear proliferation by rouge states. Another argument proponents make is that NATO can serve to contain political 'spillover' in the form of economic instability and refugees (Asmus 29).

Conflicts in regionally violent areas of Europe are increasingly generated by antidemocratic and anti-Western ideologies that threaten the liberal-democratic foundations of Western Europe and the nascent democracies of the former Soviet bloc (Asmus 29). Also, conflicts may escalate into regional wars, instability in such geopolitically sensitive areas also threatens to draw in major powers who see their own interests threatened (Asmus 29). Arif 4 The last main argument that proponents make is that NATO nurtures democracies. The argument is that if NATO chooses to cover an unstable region of Europe under its wings, it provides that region with a chance to democratize. Asmus, et al. , writes that "the need for a stable security framework is greatest when democracy is most fragile and threatened" (30). I believe that the argument to expand NATO is more sound than the argument to stick to the status quo.

Some of the arguments made by opponents of expansion seem to be fallacious. Harries claims that the West cannot be trusted on to make firm commitments when the 'going gets tough'. To substantiate his claim, he provides a plethora of historical examples, but to what extent can we use those historical examples to predict future behavior? The examples he provides are archaic. The situations, political climates, and leaders were all vastly different than they are today. Building a new NATO has many advantages.

The alliance was formed with one clearly stated goal, to keep a watchful eye on the Soviet Union, but with all the new challange's that face Europe today, NATO certainly does not have a lack of missions to accomplish as critics argue. The fragmentation of the Soviet Union has created many rouge states that have a very volatile political climate. To make matters worse, some of those states have a sizable nuclear arsenal. "Paradoxically, while heavily armed, these countries nonetheless lack the ability to defend themselves against major outside aggressor" (Asmus 29). Furthermore, with the advent of a economic giant in Europe, the European Union, the United States needs to keep a foothold in European politics. "Achieving consensus Arif 5 among the twelve EC members, especially when military action is required, is nearly impossible" (Asmus 31). The creation of a 'United States of Europe' will create a terrible security dilemma for those states.

While each state will try to maintain as politically autonomous as possible, it will be increasingly difficult to initiate military action without the approval from the European Union. This is quite a problem considering Europe is a historically violent region. As Asmus states, "almost everyone from the Atlantic to the Urals shudders at the prospect of NATO crumbling and the United States withdrawing from Europe" (31). Western foreign policy makers need to realize the new challenges that have arisen in Europe today. Although the Soviet Union's demise has left NATO in a mission vacuum, it can now reconfigure and meet the new challenges. NATO should not be characterized as a security collective meant to check Soviet aggression, but a sort of policeman that roams Europe helping democracies emerge, preventing the virulent violence Europe is prone to.

A Europe without NATO would be a region that would be continuously prone to regional conflicts, and it would not be able to flourish as it is poised to under the EU. A Europe without NATO would make the world a more dangerous place for all of the world's inhabitants, due to the nuclear proliferation of rouge states that was a part of the former Soviet Union. NATO needs to expand, and continue to find new challenges to address in Europe.


Free research essays on topics related to: foreign policy goals, nuclear proliferation, eastern european countries, military action, soviet union

Research essay sample on Eastern European Countries Foreign Policy Goals

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