NATO formally suspends Cold War-era security treaty as Russia pulls out

Subject :IR

Section: International Groupings

Context: NATO announces formal suspension of Cold War-era security treaty after Russia’s pullout

More about the news:

NATO has formally suspended the Treaty of Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) in response to Russia’s withdrawal from the agreement.
The CFE treaty, a key Cold War-era security pact aimed at preventing the massing of forces near mutual borders, had most NATO members as signatories.
NATO stated that sustaining the treaty when Russia was not adhering to it would be untenable.
In response to Russia’s finalization of its withdrawal, NATO members who had signed the treaty are suspending its operation.
This decision is supported by all NATO allies, with a commitment to reducing military risks and preventing misunderstandings and conflicts.

What is Treaty of Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE):

The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) was signed in Paris in November 1990, following the fall of the Berlin Wall.
It established limitations on conventional arms and equipment with the primary goal of preventing Cold War adversaries from amassing forces suitable for rapid attacks.
Its chief objective was to reduce the risk of surprise armed conflicts and the initiation of large-scale offensive operations in Europe.
The CFE treaty encompassed various key aspects:
- It established comprehensive restrictions on significant categories of conventional military equipment across Europe, ranging from the Atlantic to the Urals.
- The treaty required the destruction of surplus weaponry.
- It effectively ended the Soviet Union’s substantial quantitative advantage in conventional weapons in Europe.
- The treaty introduced verifiable limitations on the categories of conventional military equipment deployable by NATO and the former Warsaw Pact.
- It imposed constraints on conventional arms and equipment.
The CFE treaty is often referred to as the “cornerstone of European security

Some facts about NATO:

NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949 also called the Washington Treaty between 30 countries across the world including the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.
It was the first peacetime military alliance between the United States and non-western countries.
Currently NATO consists of 31 member countries spanning North America and Europe. The most recent addition to this alliance came in April 2023 when Finland joined as its 31st member.
NATO’s primary objective revolves around the preservation of the freedom and security of its member nations, achieved through a combination of political and military strategies.
The core principle of NATO is collective defense, where independent member states pledge mutual protection in the face of external threats.
The cornerstone of this commitment is enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, which states that an attack against any one member nation will be treated as an attack against all.
The alliance’s headquarters are situated in Brussels, Belgium, facilitating coordination and cooperation among its members.