How NATO Solves Its Abandonment Problem



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NATO is the most powerful alliance ever created. But the combined strength of its individual countries is meaningless if no one will actually help a member in need. In alliance politics, this is known as the “abandonment” problem. NATO is well aware of the issue, and it goes to great lengths to find solutions. This video explains them, with special attention to issues that will arise once Sweden and Finland join the alliance.

0:00 NATO Expansion and Article 5
1:55 What Is Alliance Abandonment?
4:35 Proactive Deployments
7:23 Tripwires
10:04 Military Integration
12:49 Economic Interdependence
14:34 Long-Term Reciprocation

The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Media licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/):

By President of Ukraine:
https://www.president.gov.ua/news/prezident-ukrayini-proviv-zustrich-z-premyer-ministrom-finly-75381

By Kremlin.ru:
http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/62277
http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/68366
http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/69578
http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/69623
http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/69636

Media licensed under CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/):

By US Army:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/28080952639/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/48061488772/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/48081656907/

By US Navy:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnavy/47993686801/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnavy/48347021792/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnavy/50637709227/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnavy/51316592235/

By U.S. Secretary of Defense:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/secdef/24112643208/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/secdef/22671380395/

By IAEA:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/iaea_imagebank/52256855777

Media licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en):

By Bundesacrhiv:
https://www.bild.bundesarchiv.de/dba/de/search/?query=Bild+101I-009-0882-04

By Guilherme Paula:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Serbia_(1882%E2%80%931918).svg

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41 thoughts on “How NATO Solves Its Abandonment Problem”

  1. De-escalation and negotiations now! Let Ukraine get NATO and EU membership pass from Russia, but Ukraine to acknowledge the 4 annexed regions and Crymea as Russia, and let there be forever peace. Win-win situation.

    Reply
  2. NATO has been drooling over Finland joining since the cold war. We are close to Kola peninsula, that has a shitton of Russian nuclear weaponry, and have been preparing to defend against Russia since WW2. The best US/NATO could do in all that time was to get us to work with them in semi official manner. It took Putin to go crazy to show us that the time of playing nice is over. We wanted to stay neutral so we could work with both sides, but now we have nothing to lose for joining. It's really only benefits left. Even if the promise to defend us is just a piece of paper it's more than what we would have without joining

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  3. NATO has been salivating for ages to get control of Russian resources, and will lead us to total annihilation because Russia will not accept defeat and dismembering. The irresponsibility of NATO supporters begs for sanity.

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  4. Thia is a most informative account of the mechanics of an alliance and the way in which Nato addresses the abandonment problem. Nato certainly strives to address many of the problems of past alliances. The people of Finland (to hopefully be), Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia, must certainly sleep a lot easier knowing that Article 5 is there. I have also never been aware of the tripwire concept. Thanks to your article, it makes absolute sense. It is, as it were, insurance against the domestic anti participation lobby, which there will always be.

    Coming from a multi racial country, South Africa, I am always concerned about reports suggesting that Finland and the Baltic States discriminate against their ethnic Russian populations. If I were to venture any advice, the treatment of these ethnic Russians should be the opposite. They should be pampered. They should rather be encouraged to speak their own language, have their own schools and respect their traditions and culture. These countries would benefit greatly by such a policy.

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  5. I want to make the point that a country such as Turkey has very different interests compared to most of the other Nato members. It is in a different region with different forces at play. It is unfortunate that it can hold countries such as Finland and Sweden to ransom on their application. This is what its demands amount to. Turkey has domestic minority problems involving the Kurdish and Armenian peoples and its treatment of them is very much the cause of unrest among these peoples. There should somehow be a mechanism to admit Finland and Sweden where only one member, itself with domestic problems opposes their membership.

    Reply
  6. I think its interesting that for years we were told of the great and powerful Russians which we had to spend billions to defend ourselves against. Its seems they can't even beat one of their former states. So it appears we were lied to about the Russians. Ukraine also appears to be a giant money and energy laundering operation which everyone in power gets a cut. Lets see how the mid terms affect our ability to give everything and make every sacrifice for Ukraine.

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  7. Joining NATO WILL BE A HUGE MISTAKE FOR THE BEAUTIFUL FINLAND AND SWEDEN

    DANGEROUS DECISION.

    FINLAND AND SWEDEN SHOULD NOT MAKE THE HUGE BLUNDER WHICH UKRAINE HAS DONE AND RUINED ITSELF.

    WHY DOES FINLAND NEED NATO IS A MYSTERY ?

    FINLAND IS IN ABSOLUTELY IN NO DANGER FROM ANYONE

    FINLAND IS A STRONG FREE NATION

    IT SHOULD TALK DIRECTLY WITH RUSSIA US AND EU.

    THE CURRENT TWO NATION NEEDLESS WAR WILL SOON BE OVER

    .EU AND THE US CAN STOP YHIS WAR.
    FRANCE CAN MEDIATE.

    I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF REALITY LIKE WAR EXPERTS

    SO FORGIVE ANY LINES WHICH I HAVE WRITTEN WHICH YOU DISAGREE WITH.

    BUT AFTER YEARS OF READING WORLD POLITICS
    I SAY THIIS

    DO N9T MESS WITH THE SUPERPOWERS.

    TOTAL DIISMANTLING OF ALL NUCLEAR WEAPONS IS NEEDED UNDER THE UN.

    RUSSIA AND THE US MUST TALK.
    THAT CAN HELP.

    BLAMING RUSSIA ALONE IS OF NO USE.
    I AM NIT SUPPORTING RUSSIA INVASION AT ALL.

    ALL NATIONS HAVE A HISTORY OF ATTACKING SMALL NATIONS

    WHY SINGLE JUST RUSSIA?

    WHO DROPPED THE N BOMBS

    WHO USED CHEMICAL WARFARE ON VIETNAM

    WHO CAPTURED TIBET

    WHICH TINY NATION IS BUILDING N ARSENAL UNDER A MAD DICTATOR

    WE ARE ALL GUILTY OF WAR

    N WAR HAS NO SURVIVORS
    WAR HAS NO WINNERS

    PRAYING FOR PEACE
    GOD BLESS EARTH WITH PEACE

    Reply
  8. Amazing video as always, but you used the fascist spanish flag, which I guess is historically accutate for the cold war period, but as an spaniard, it stabbed a bit my little democratic heart haha.

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  9. This message is to send to UN OR NATO. Whatever damage putin did to Ukraine country. The world must give putin the amount of damaged to Ukraine country. As long as Russia is damage :

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  10. NATO must evolve in to a more effective model of 3 blocks. The USA, The EU and CANZUK. It should form a standing Foreign Policy, Defence Policy and Trade Policy. Then, it can shift away from being only a defensive alliance and become a Global Actor. A voluntary empire with a supranational infrastructure is required.

    Reply
  11. Bro your lines on maos are incoherent every time. Please do better. Do i really need to explain how you can do better? My god man. You shift lines around moving them maoing them represent multiple things my god just make it make sense all at once

    Reply
  12. Well well ,,, the French and Spanish are cheating sanctions against Russian super yacht owners taking money from the owners to repair service and pay workers on there boats so much for the EU sanctions they are slimy putin helpers. And is there somthing being done about it, l bet not!!!!

    Reply
  13. By only listening to your two last videos I can tell that your mind farts are so ridiculous with the “anal-ysis” of a 19th century mindset.
    Your dreams are dry and won’t come true but you keep selling your soul to criminals with this sewers propaganda.

    Reply
  14. In June 1963, Kennedy uttered the essential truth that can keep us alive today: “Above all, while defending our own vital interests, nuclear powers must avert those confrontations which bring an adversary to a choice of either a humiliating retreat or a nuclear war. To adopt that kind of course in the nuclear age would be evidence only of the bankruptcy of our policy–or of a collective death-wish for the world.”

    Reply

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