The United States could also carry out independent actions, consistent with its rights and obligations under the United Nations Charter. Taking actionĪfter 9/11, there were consultations among the Allies and collective action was decided by the Council. On 2 October, once the Council had been briefed on the results of investigations into the 9/11 attacks, it determined that they were regarded as an action covered by Article 5.īy invoking Article 5, NATO members showed their solidarity toward the United States and condemned, in the strongest possible way, the terrorist attacks against the United States. The North Atlantic Council – NATO’s principal political decision-making body – agreed that if it determined that the attack was directed from abroad against the United States, it would be regarded as an action covered by Article 5. Then NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson subsequently informed the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the Alliance's decision. On the evening of 12 September 2001, less than 24 hours after the attacks, the Allies invoked the principle of Article 5. The European participants wanted to ensure that the United States would automatically come to their assistance should one of the signatories come under attack the United States did not want to make such a pledge and obtained that this be reflected in the wording of Article 5. Each country will consult with the other members, bearing in mind that the ultimate aim is to “to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area”.Īt the drafting of Article 5 in the late 1940s, there was consensus on the principle of mutual assistance, but fundamental disagreement on the modalities of implementing this commitment. It is therefore left to the judgment of each individual member country to determine how it will contribute. It is not necessarily military and depends on the material resources of each country. This assistance is taken forward in concert with other Allies. This is an individual obligation on each Ally and each Ally is responsible for determining what it deems necessary in the particular circumstances. With the invocation of Article 5, Allies can provide any form of assistance they deem necessary to respond to a situation.
This article is complemented by Article 6, which stipulates:
Such measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security.” “The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.Īny such armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof shall immediately be reported to the Security Council. In 1949, the primary aim of the North Atlantic Treaty – NATO’s founding treaty – was to create a pact of mutual assistance to counter the risk that the Soviet Union would seek to extend its control of Eastern Europe to other parts of the continent.Įvery participating country agreed that this form of solidarity was at the heart of the Treaty, effectively making Article 5 on collective defence a key component of the Alliance.Īrticle 5 provides that if a NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, each and every other member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack against all members and will take the actions it deems necessary to assist the Ally attacked.
0 kommentar(er)
