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Natohas been a phenomenon in international relations. It is unlike most multinational organizations of the past in that it has survived for a generation, and it has thereby fulfilled, at least, the minimal expectations of its founding fathers. Even more phenomenal for Americans has been the identification of the United States with an idea, a particular group of nations, and an organization which were all repugnant to a tradition that specifically isolated America from Europe. The origins of the North Atlantic Treaty are inextricably linked with the rediscovery of Europe by the United States.

The preparatory years, 1938-1945 -- Toward the 1948 debacle -- The Eisenhower solution, 1948-1952 -- The Mutual Security Agency and Foreign Operations Administration, 1953-1955 -- Special Assistant for Disarmament, 1955-1958 -- The illusion of progress, 1956 -- 1957 "Stassen's gaffe" -- The long anticlimax, June 1957-February 1958 -- Conclusions and reflections

The creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was one of the most important accomplishments of American diplomacy in countering the Soviet threat during the early days of the Cold War. Why and how such a reversal of a 150-year nonalignment policy by the United States was brought about, and how the goals of the treaty became a reality, are questions addressed here by a leading scholar of NATO. The importance of restoring Europe to strength and stability in the post-World War II years was as obvious to America as to its allies, but the means of achieving that goal were far from

Intro -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- List of Abbreviations -- Introduction: The Nature of the Relationship -- 1. Treaty versus Charter, 1949 -- 2. The Suez Crisis, 1956 -- 3. The Congo Crisis, 1960 -- 4. The Vietnam War, 1961-1965 -- 5. The Afghanistan War, 1980 -- 6. The Persian Gulf War, 1990-1991 -- 7. The Balkan Wars: Bosnia, 1992-1995 -- 8. The Balkan Wars: To Kosovo, 1995-1999 -- 9. After 9/11: Afghanistan and Iraq -- 10. Summation -- Appendix A: UN Charter -- Appendix B: NATO Charter -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.

Introduction: the isolationist tradition, 1800-1947 -- "The speech": 22 January 1948 -- The Brussels Pact: 17 March 1948 -- The Vandenberg Resolution: 11 June 1948 -- The "exploratory" talks: July-September 1948 -- The Western Union defense organization: 1948-1949 -- The hiatus: September-December 1948 -- Toward the treaty of Washington, January-April 1949 -- The relevance of NATO in the post-Cold War Era