Page 85 - NAVAL SCIENCE 3 TEXTBOOK

90 N AVAl. KNOWLEDGE

Procedural matters acted on by the council require at least nine Collective defense pacts are designed, as their name implies,
affirmative votes for passage. In all substantive measures, however, for mutual and collective self~defense. Their legalit), COIlles from
the nine affirmative votes must include those of the five permanent the fundamental right to self~defense recognized by the charter.
major powers for passage. If an)' one of the so~catled Big Five casts Since this is a right of all sovereign states. a nation need not hold
a negative vote, called a veto, the measure is defeated. Known as the membership in the United Nations to be a party to such a treaty.
Yalta formula, this voting arrangement was based on the assump~ A key provision of all these pacts is that if one member state is
tion that if the Security Council was to carry out its responsibil- attacked, the other member states will come to its assistance. The
ity effectively in the United Nations, agreement of the five major knowledge that an attack all any member will result in collective
world powers was essential for all)' real action. and individual action by all parties to sllch a pact makes aggression
The Security Council can make recommendations and pass much less probable, and consequently such treaties are a strong
measures to maintain or restore international peace and security deterrent to any potential aggressor nation.
whenever it determines the existence of an)' threat to the peace, The United States has been closely involved with the security of
breach of the peace, or act of :lggression. These measures may be all the countries in the \Vestern Hemisphere ever since the Monroe
actions not involving the lise of armed forces, sllch as interrllp~ Doctrine in 1823. It stated that the United States would hence~
tion of economic relations or severance of diplomatic relations. Or forth regard as an unfriendly act any attempt by a European nation
the action may be military operations by air, sea, or land forces to to interfere in the' affairs of the American countries or increase
maintain or restore peace. The charter obligates member nations its possessions on the American continents. Regional solidarity
to place armed forces LInder United Nations command to carry between the American states has set an example for the world and
alit whatever actions are decided upon b), the council. United has become the model of several other regional treaties and decla~
Nations forces took part in the Korean \'Var, and in more recent rations placed in effect since \'''orld \Var II.
years, they pi.uticipated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert In 1948 an organization that comprised almost all of the indepen~
Storm in 1991, in the Bosnian conflict, and in several hUlllanitar~ dent states of the \Vestern Hemisphere was formed (Cuba dropped
ian interventions in Africa. out in 1962). Called the Organization of American States (OAS), its
aims arc to promote peilCeful settlement of disputes among member
sti.ltes, to provide for collective security, and to encourage coopera~
International, Regional, and tion in economic, social, and cultural matters. Largely anti~Commu~
Collective Arrangements nist in its philosophy, the OAS is based 011 the general principles of
In addition to the power of the Security Council to take action the Monroe Doctrine, especially the provision that an attack on one
ill cases of aggression, the UN charter specifically recognizes the American state would be considered an attack on aU.
right of members to act in self~defense. individually or collectively. Important decisions on regional security taken by the OAS
The charter suggests possibilities of such arrangements. includ~ include support of President John F Kennedy's quarantine of Cuba
ing regional associations, and allows such treaties as long as their in 1962, the support of American inter\'ention in the Dominican
activities are consistent with the purposes and principles of the Republic in 1965, and in 1982, disagreement with the U.S. invasion
United Nation~. On this legal basis, the United States and most of Grenada (despite the support of Grenada's neighboring island
other nations have concluded many such treaties with states hav~ republics).
ing COllllllon concerns. ~dembership in such regional organizations Another very important regional defcnse pact in which
and collective defense pacts has given the United States military the United States is a key member is the North Atlantic Treat)'
and economic commitments with some forty nations through- Organization (NATO), formed in 1949. It is somewhat similar to
out the world. In addition, the United States has concluded defense the OAS, except thilt its primary purpose is collecti\'e defense. Like
pledges or agreements with about thirty other countries. Operation the OAS treaty, the NATO agreement states that an armed attack
Enduring Freedom in Atghanist<ln in 2001-2002 was an example of against one member shall be considered an armed attack against
a military coalition organized by the United States outside the pur- all members, and it provides for measures to meet such an attack.
view of the United Nations. Our present worldwide collective secu~ The North Atlantic treaty also endorses the doctrine of mutual
rity system has bound us to defend Latin America, \Vestern Europe, aid, the principle that has been the basis of our foreign policy in
and almost every non~CoIl1munist state in the western Pacific. \'''estern Europe since the treaty became effective. Under this prin-
Regional organizations are arrangements between member ciple, the United States has provided friend I)' foreign nations with
states designed to address many of the political, technical, cul- arms and equipment in order to develop their "individual and col-
tural, and educational problems that are of concern to the United lecti\'e capacit)' to resist armed attack."
Nations and its functional organizations. Regional does not nec~ The membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
essarily imply i1 common geographic region, but rather that the consists of the United States, Canada, Iceland, Illost of the nations
countries in the pact have common interests in a given region. of northern and western Europe. Greece and Turkey. and more