The One Where We Talk About NATO at a Party

You’re making the rounds at a party when someone asks you about NATO. Is it still important? The alliance is credited with preventing a third world war, but a lot of us don’t know what it is or how it works. This episode takes a look at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from the ground up, paired best with a cold drink.

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Host
  • Gabrielle Sierra
    Director, Podcasting
Credits

Asher Ross - Supervising Producer

Markus Zakaria - Audio Producer and Sound Designer

Rafaela Siewert - Associate Podcast Producer

Episode Guests
  • Charles A. Kupchan
    Senior Fellow
  • Alina Polyakova
    President and CEO, Center for European Policy Analysis

Show Notes

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is credited with bringing a peaceful end to the Cold War and preventing conflict in the seven decades since its founding. At the core of the alliance is its collective defense provision, Article V, which stipulates that an attack on any of its twenty-nine members is tantamount to an attack on all.

 

But in recent years, criticism has mounted that member states are getting a free ride at the United States’ expense—enjoying NATO’s security umbrella without contributing enough to its maintenance. In this episode, experts Charles Kupchan and Alina Polyakova layout NATO’s history, its current role, and the danger of forgetting why it was created in the first place.

 

From CFR

 

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” Jonathan Masters

 

Does NATO Still Matter?,” Council on Foreign Relations

 

Seven Decades of NATO,” James M. Lindsay, Corey Cooper, and Elizabeth Lordi

 

Ukraine: Conflict at the Crossroads of Europe and Russia,” Jonathan Masters

 

Read More

 

NATO’s website

 

Trump Warns NATO Allies to Spend More on Defense, or Else,” New York Times

 

Trump’s reported desire to leave NATO is a belated Christmas present for Putin,” NBC News

 

Trump keeps criticizing NATO allies over spending. Here’s how NATO’s budget actually works.,” Business Insider

 

Trump administration to cut its financial contribution to NATO,” CNN

 

Watch or Listen

 

The birth of NATO,” NATO

 

The Russians Are Coming: NATO’s Frontier,” Vice News

 

NATO’s increasing close calls with Russia,” CNN

 

Europe’s frontline: the Latvians caught in Russia and Nato’s Baltic war games,” Guardian

 

Nato summit: The rifts behind its 70th birthday bash,” BBC

Space

Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are real. And the truth about them is often hidden from the public, for reasons related to national security. That secrecy has fed conspiracy theories about the possibility of alien life on Earth, creating a stigma around the legitimate scientific search for life on other planets. Why are UFOs considered a defense concern? And does a defense framing of UFOs inhibit scientific research?

Center for Preventive Action

Every January, CFR’s annual Preventive Priorities Survey analyzes the conflicts most likely to occur in the year ahead and measures their potential impact. For the first time, the survey anticipates that this year, 2024, the United States will contend not only with a slew of global threats, but also a high risk of upheaval within its own borders. Is the country prepared for the eruption of election-related instability at home while wars continue to rage abroad?

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Billions of people will take to the polls next year, marking the world’s largest-ever electoral field. But this historic scale is not the only thing that will make 2024 unique. As new threats like deep fakes become cheaper and more widespread, these upcoming elections could serve as a test run for democracy in the artificial intelligence (AI) era. What risks does AI pose to elections next year? And will a surge in AI-powered disinformation change the nature of democratic elections?

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