SolkaTruesilver wrote:It's a defensive alliance. Meaning that if any nation of NATO is attacked, all the allied countries have to immediately declare war on the aggressor.
Not quite:
Article Five of the North Atlantic Treaty wrote:The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.
In other words, out-of-area attack don't count and the attacked party decides what measures are required, which includes a) doing nothing, and b) handling the problem themselves.
Okay. That's good then. Everybody can fight their private wars if they feel like it. I guess the U.S. would have never agreed otherwise.
