To Become or Not to Become a Memeber of NATO

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Introduction:
The cessation of the Cold War has changed the nature of global politics. Although the termagant era of containment has concluded the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) continues to ensure an international defense cooperative essential to the national security interests of the United States. NATO also serves as means to preserve stability and propagate democratic values in the transatlantic arena. Article X of the North Atlantic Treaty states the any European nation that advances the provisions of the treaty and provides cooperative security can join NATO with the approval of existing member states. In recent years NATO has enlisted numerous nations that were formerly under the dominion of the Warsaw Pact.
One of the nations that has currently expressed an interest in becoming a member of NATO is the Republic of Georgia. The Republic Georgia is a post-Soviet state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Georgia shares a northern border with the Russian Federation and is eastwardly adjacent to the Black Sea. During Bucharest Summit of 2008 the Republic of Georgia requested a Membership Action Plan (MAP), which is a contingent plan for NATO membership . This request for a Membership Action Plan was declined by the North Atlantic Council notably France and Germany because it was believed that the inclusion of Georgia to NATO would provoke regional relations with the Russian Federation .
Georgia’s prospects for future membership were further postponed in August of 2008 when they entered an armed conflict with the Russian Federation over the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The five day conflict between the Russian Federation and Georgia ceased after an outcry from the international community. Although the S...

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...s should continue efforts to ensure the security of Georgia during their development. These efforts should not be exclusively limited to military support but through the negations of peace talks between Georgia and its neighbors.
Conclusion
Georgia is a strategic regional ally that is developed substantially since its independence. Georgia has attracted the attention of the international community because of its potential to set precedence in future NATO enlargements. The international community should act with caution when intervening the South Caucuses. Georgia has the potential to become a hegemon in the region but its success will depend on the future stability of its economic development and regional relational relations. The United States should consider the mutual security of the both nations before articulating a policy on NATO enlargement in the region.

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