Where is NATO going-the world's largest military alliance and the threat of Russia-July 13, 17:14
NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization, where Western countries gathered with the right of collective self-defense and nuclear deterrence to counter the communist camp during the Cold War.
Even after the end of the Cold War, it has survived as the world's largest military alliance with 30 nations, but it has been called "brain dead" by French President Emmanuel Macron.
However, its presence has suddenly been in the limelight since Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.
Northern Europe Finland and Sweden, which have been in a neutral position for many years, have also applied for membership.
Furthermore, NATO has strengthened its vigilance against China in addition to Russia, strengthened relations with Japan and South Korea, and is now beginning to take on the color of a "fort of democratic countries" that transcends regions.
On the other hand, its expansion and intensification have led to a fierce opposition from Russia and China.
Will NATO really be a "breakwater to prevent World War" or a "symbol of world conflict and division"?
Reporters who have been interviewing NATO from various perspectives since the "war" thought.
(NATO interview group) Table of
contents
▼ NATO facing military invasion ▼
Two Scandinavian countries swaying to join
▼ Eyes of typhoons, Turkey
▼ NATO approaching Japan quickly
NATO facing a military invasion
"It's a crucial moment for European security,"
Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who appeared in front of the reporters, said with a stiff look.
Secretary-General Stoltenberg
"NATO is the strongest alliance in history. We protect all member states from any attack. Protect all NATO member territories."
The Secretary-General continued to repeat this statement at every press conference.
Of course, the Secretary-General has in mind Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which stipulates that each country will exercise its right of collective self-defense when a member country is attacked.
And there was no doubt that the message was sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, not the reporters in front of him.
The essence of the world's largest military alliance was revealed, in which Russia, which invades Ukraine, does not allow NATO member countries such as the three Baltic countries and Poland to touch one finger, and then counterattacks by all means.
On the other hand, there is another message that NATO has continued to send.
It says, "As long as the brunt of the attack remains in the non-member Ukraine, we do not intend to collide directly with Russia."
It was as if Russia had spread its attacks on various parts of Ukraine on March 4.
At a press conference at NATO Headquarters, a Ukrainian reporter asked him to hang out, but Secretary-General Stoltemberg quickly pushed him out.
Reporter
"Why does NATO not set a no-fly zone over Ukraine to prevent attacks by Russian military aircraft?"
Stoltenberg "
If you set a no-fly zone, you will shoot down the invading Russian military aircraft, It could lead to a direct clash with Russia. NATO is responsible for preventing this war from spreading outside Ukraine. "
While having the "strongest" military power in history, it only protects member states, showing the cold reality that NATO will not participate as long as Russia's brunt stays in Ukraine.
In May, aside from the tension caused by Russia's military invasion, NATO has an unexpected "tailwind".
Finland and Sweden, which have maintained a military neutral policy for many years due to consideration for relations with the Soviet Union and Russia, have all applied for membership.
It was a great "miscalculation" for Russia, which has been repulsing the expansion of NATO from beginning to end, and an unexpected "utility" for NATO.
When the ambassadors of both countries visited the headquarters in Brussels with the application documents, Secretary-General Stoltemberg, who had just returned to work after the infection with the new corona, said with a big smile, "Today is a wonderful day." Welcomed.
Once Finland and Sweden join, NATO will solidify the Baltic coast and the alliance will be further strengthened.
In addition, the application for accession while Russia opposes the expansion of NATO appealed to NATO's stance of not giving in to Russian pressure.
NATO gains even more momentum at the June summit in Spain.
After the end of the Cold War, NATO has advocated the pursuit of peace through cooperation across Europe.
In fact, in 1997, he signed a document with Russia and confirmed that he would develop a strong and stable partnership without considering each other as an enemy.
However, the new strategic concept adopted at this summit changed the conventional policy and positioned Russia as "the most serious and direct threat".
Furthermore, in the new strategic concept, China is also a subject of caution as "an entity that challenges NATO's security, interests, and values," and clarified its stance of strengthening cooperation with Asia-Pacific countries such as Japan and South Korea.
NATO is no longer transcending regions and is about to transform into a "fort of democratic nations" as opposed to "authoritarian nations."
Two Scandinavian countries swaying to join
President Niinistö
"You are the one who caused this situation. I want to tell you to look in the mirror."
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, who has applied for NATO membership, has criticized Putin in this way.
Finland, which borders Russia on a 1300-kilometer border, has a history of barely maintaining independence at the cost of many sacrifices after being invaded by the Soviet Union at the time of World War II.
From such lessons, he has declared military neutrality so as not to stimulate the Soviet Union and Russia while maintaining military power during the Cold War.
Finland turned around and took the lead in joining NATO.
A high-ranking official of the Ministry of Defense also expressed his hope that "if you join NATO, each country will come to you in case of an emergency."
The voice of support for membership has increased rapidly among the people, and the support for membership, which was around 20% in recent polls, exceeded 70% at once in May.
On the other hand, neighboring Sweden also applied for NATO membership with Finland, but there was a slight temperature difference between the two countries.
Since the Napoleonic Wars in the 19th century, Sweden has adhered to "military neutrality" as its basic diplomatic policy.
After the Cold War, it drastically reduced defense spending and led nuclear disarmament, mediation of conflicts around the world, and humanitarian diplomacy.
"Military nonalignment is the Swedish identity,"
said a Swedish expert.
Abandoning military neutrality by joining NATO is not only a major shift in security policy, but it also shakes the national identity that has been cultivated over many years.
In fact, as of March, Prime Minister Andersson himself was opposed to joining, saying that "NATO accession would destroy the stability of the region."
However, when the situation in Ukraine deteriorated and Finland, which had cooperated in security so far, stepped up to join, there was no choice but to keep pace.
If you become a NATO member, joint exercises will be held more frequently in the Baltic Sea and other areas, and your role and responsibility as a member of the military alliance will increase.
Although Prime Minister Andersson has shown his determination to continue to act toward nuclear disarmament, how far can he keep the "national policy" after abandoning military neutrality?
Sweden is likely to be re-questioned for its "identity."
The public is still cautious about joining, and a college student interviewed in Stockholm when the government decided to apply for membership expressed resentment.
She said, "Why do politicians decide such an important issue alone? There was a referendum when joining the EU. It should have involved the people in the discussion."
Eyes of typhoon, turkey
It was Turkey, which stands out among the member countries, that openedly waited for NATO, which had begun to join the two Scandinavian countries, leaving it to the momentum.
President Erdogan
"Nordic countries are like guest houses of terrorist organizations"
President Erdogan was terrified by reporters.
The members of the Kurdish armed groups that Turkey has been prosecuting for many years cannot agree to join NATO as long as the two countries are hiding in the country for humanitarian reasons.
NATO's "Nordic expansion" ran into a snag due to an unexpected dissonance.
Turkey became a member of NATO's first eastern expansion in 1952.
As one of the leading military powers among the member countries, it has played the role of a "breakwater" against the Soviet Union and Russia for 70 years.
On the other hand, in NATO led by Europe and the United States, it has fallen into a jerky relationship with other member countries in various situations.
Regarding the civil war in neighboring Syria for more than 10 years, Turkey supported the rebels together with the West, but while the Western side supported the Kurdish armed groups, Turkey made a cross-border attack against this and made a cross-border attack with the West. The pace was greatly disturbed.
In recent years, he has been unable to negotiate with the United States over the purchase of weapons, and has deepened his feud by introducing a Russian-made air defense missile system.
While aiming to join the EU = European Union for many years, negotiations with Europe have not progressed due to human rights issues, etc., and domestically, "We are Muslims cannot be welcomed as members of Europe". The voice is constant.
Turkey was reluctant to see Ukraine recently recognized as a candidate for EU membership.
President Erdogan has repelled the sympathetic pressure even in NATO.
The "resistance" to the accession of the two Scandinavian countries has greatly panicked NATO's leadership, who wants to show unity in front of Russia.
However, before the summit meeting in June, the consensus document that met the leaders of Finland and Sweden and showed the concrete response to the terrorist organization was finally softened. ..
Being a member of NATO is still Turkey's greatest "diplomatic identity," despite all the thoughts.
The trend of Turkey, which plays a part in NATO and has a strong presence by arguing against the initiative of Europe and the United States every time, will have a considerable influence on NATO's progress in the future.
NATO approaching Japan
NATO, which has shown a sense of caution toward China in addition to its confrontation with Russia, has become a presence that cannot be ignored even in Japan, which is far from Europe.
For the first time, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida also participated in the summit meeting held in Spain in June.
It was confirmed that a new document containing specific cooperation contents would be compiled with NATO, and they agreed on a policy to promote cooperation in fields such as cyber and ocean security.
Exchanges between NATO and the Japanese military sector have accelerated in recent months.
This May, at the Chief of Staff Meeting hosted by the NATO Military Commission in Belgium, Koji Yamazaki, Chief of Staff, Joint Staff of the Self-Defense Forces, was seen.
This is the first time that the top of Japan's Self-Defense Forces, which is not a member country, has attended, and according to the Ministry of Defense, it was realized at the request of NATO.
In addition to Japan, the conference also invited the heads of military forces from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea, which NATO positions as partners in the Asia-Pacific region = "AP4."
One Defense Ministry official said NATO's aim was to send a clear message to China.
A Ministry of Defense official said,
"It was not realized due to the influence of the new Corona, but in fact, the participation of the Joint Staff Office in the Chief of Staff Office has been consulted for several years. There was a sense of crisis that the focus of security was on the Indo-Pacific region, where China is stepping up its marine expansion. I think it would be a message to China if the top of the Self-Defense Forces participated. "
NATO against Russia, which has invaded Ukraine, is also becoming more cautious about changing the status quo by China's power in the Indo-Pacific region.
On the other hand, Japan is in a position that NATO's cooperation is indispensable to face Russia and North Korea at the same time as China.
It can be said that the closeness of both sides was a kind of inevitability.
In June, NATO's military chairman, Bauer, visited Japan.
"The security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific is now inseparable. Further strengthening of cooperation between Japan and NATO is essential for world peace and stability," Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Yamazaki said at a press conference.
Japan, which cannot provide direct military assistance, is trying to strengthen ties through joint training and exchanges between high-ranking officials, and to disseminate it to the outside world.
The idea is that it will be a deterrent to attempts to "change the status quo by force."
After the official visit of Chairman Bauer, the Maritime Self-Defense Force conducted and announced joint training with the NATO army and the French, British, and Spanish navies in rapid succession.
In early July, Chief of Staff, Ground Self-Defense Force Yoshida will visit Britain and Germany, meet with top Army species to call for joint training, and Chief of Staff, Air Force Izutsu will also visit NATO headquarters in July. That is.
Ministry of Defense official
"At the Chief of the General Staff meeting in May, NATO dignitaries showed a strong interest in the possibility of China's invasion of Taiwan. It seems that Taiwan is next to Ukraine." Don't let China misunderstand that it is possible to change the status quo by force when it sees Russia's actions. How to deepen multilateral cooperation as well as the Japan-US alliance and discourage China. In that sense, strengthening cooperation with NATO is extremely important. "
Mr. Rasmussen, who once served as Secretary-General for five years when NATO aimed to reconcile with Russia.
"I underestimated Putin's territorial ambitions," he regretted.
"We must not repeat our mistakes by showing a strong unity and uncompromising attitude in the face of authoritarian leaders," he said.
Russia's military invasion will lead to NATO enlargement and intensification, which will lead to further opposition between Russia and China, and the division and confrontation will deepen.
No one knows what that chain will bring to the world.
Kyoko Takeda ,
Director of Brussels Bureau
Joined in 2001 After working at the International Affairs Department and the Directorate General of Europe, he has been
interviewing NATO and the EU
since 2021 .
Mari Mukai ,
Director of London Bureau
Joined in 1998 After working at the International Affairs Department and Sydney Bureau, she has been
covering political and social issues in the UK and Scandinavia
since 2019 .
Keitaka Sano ,
Director of Istanbul Bureau
Joined in 2013 After working at the Yamaguchi Bureau and the International Department, he has been
covering the situation in Turkey and Ukraine
since 2021 .
Ryotaro Minami , a
reporter
from the Social Affairs Department
, joined the station in
2011 .