NATO Turns 70

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) turned 70 years old this past week. There were 12 original signatories to the treaty: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Today there are 29, representing about 20,000 military personnel.

Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.

Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for NATO Turns 70

Links

“NATO at 70: What is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/nato-70-north-atlantic-treaty-organization-190402151937735.html

“Four charts for NATO’s 70th anniversary”
https://qz.com/1585657/nato-70-four-charts-that-explain-the-alliance/

“On its 70th anniversary, NATO is bigger than ever – here are its 29 members in action”
https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-natos-29-member-countries-as-the-powerful-alliance-turns-70-2019-3

“Washington holds a slew of events as NATO turns 70”
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-defense/2019/04/01/washington-holds-a-slew-of-events-as-nato-turns-70-419236

“As NATO turns 70, alliance increases aid to Ukraine to confront Russia”
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/as-nato-turns-70-alliance-increases-aid-to-ukraine-to-confront-russia

“Five dark clouds hanging over NATO’s 70th anniversary”
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/04/709573680/5-dark-clouds-hanging-over-natos-70th-anniversary

“NATO anniversary party turns ugly as US rips Germany, Turkey”
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001319507/nato-anniversary-party-turns-ugly-as-us-rips-germany-turkey

“70 years of NATO — and this year might be its most crucial”
https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/04/opinions/nato-at-70-most-crucial-year/index.html

“Internal strife: NATO’s greatest enemy is itself as it turns 70 | View”
https://www.euronews.com/2019/04/05/internal-strife-nato-s-greatest-enemy-is-itself-as-it-turns-70-view

“David J. Bercuson: Seventy years after its creation, we have never needed NATO more”
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/david-j-bercuson-seventy-years-after-its-creation-we-have-never-needed-nato-more

Assessment

• Writing:  What are some of the challenges confronting NATO as it turns 70?
• Debate: NATO was organized during a very different moment in history and no longer serves an strategic purpose.
• Poll: Do you think the United States should leave NATO?
• Short Answer: Why was NATO formed 70 years ago?

Current events quiz:

1) When was NATO formed?

a. 1919
b. 1929
c. 1939
d. 1949

2) What does NATO stand for?

a. North Atlantic Treaty Organization
b. North Atlantic Terrorist Oppositional Alliance
c. North American Trade Organization
d. North American Transitional Organization

3) Who was the president of the United States when NATO first formed?

a. Dwight Eisenhower
b. Franklin Roosevelt
c. John F. Kennedy
d. Harry Truman

4) Ukraine is a member of NATO. (T/F)

5) US President Donald Trump is a vocal supporter of NATO. (T/F)

6) There are 50 members of NATO. (T/F)

Answers:

1) D

2) A

3) D

4) F

5) F

6) F

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