MULTILATERAL ORGANISATION
8 SEPTEMBER 2025
- The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is a political and military alliance.
- Founded: 4 April 1949 (by the North Atlantic Treaty, also called the Washington Treaty).
- Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.
- Members: 32 countries
Finland became NATO’s 31st member on 4 April 2023.
Sweden became NATO’s 32nd member on 7 March 2024.
- Main Purpose: To ensure the collective defence of member countries.
- Article 5: An attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
- Article 5 has been used only once: after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
- NATO played major roles in:
- Korean War (1950s) (indirect support),
- Bosnia & Herzegovina (1990s),
- Afghanistan (2001–2021),
- Ukraine (since 2014, and more after 2022).
