Eastern Illinois University The Keep Masters Theses Student Theses & Publications 2004 U.S./NATO Relations After 9/11: U.S. Contributions to NATO Missions David E. Heinz Eastern Illinois University This research is a product of the graduate program in Political Science at Eastern Illinois University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Heinz, David E., "U.S./NATO Relations After 9/11: U.S. Contributions to NATO Missions" (2004). Masters Theses. 1340. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/1340 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses & Publications at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. I ,.EIUGrad School Pagel ot l THESIS REPRODUCTION CERTIFICATE TO: Graduate Degree Candidates (who have written formal theses) SUBJECT: Permission to Reproduce Theses The University Library is receiving a number of request from other institutions asking permission to reproduce dissertations for inclusion in their library holdings. Although no copyright laws are involved, we feel that professional courtesy demands that permission be obtained from the author before we allow these to be copied. PLEASE SIGN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS: Booth Library of Eastern Illinois University has my permission to lend my thesis to a reputable college or university for the purpose of copying it for inclusion in that institution's library or research holdings. Author's Signature Date I respectfully request Booth Library of Eastern Illinois University NOT allow my thesis to be reproduced because: ./ Author's Signature Date This form must be submitted in duplicate. u.s./NATO RELATIONS AFTER 9/11: U.S. CONTRIBUTIONS TO NATO MISSIONS (TITLE) BY David E. Heinz THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF Master of Arts--Political Science IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL, EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CHARLESTON, ILLINOIS 2004 YEAR I HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THIS THESIS BE ACCEPTED AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE GRADUATE DEGREE CITED ABOVE DATE I I Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge Dr. Lilian A. Barria and Dr. David Carwell for their guidance and suggestions during the completion of this project. I would like to give special thanks to Dr. Ryan C. Hendrickson. Without his help and guidance this project would have never been completed, thank you Dr. Hendrickson for giving me your unwavering support. I would also like to give a special thanks to Dr. Steven D. Roper, because without your support and confidence in me, this would not have been possible. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ....................................................................................... 4-7 Chapter I (Literature Review) ................................................................... 8-29 Chapter II (KFOR) ............................................................................. 30-51 Chapter III (ISAF) ............................................................................. 52-72 Chapter IV (NTIM-I) .......................................................................... 73-88 Chapter V (Conclusion) ...................................................................... 89-100 Notes .......................................................................................... 101-107 Bibliography.................................................................................. 108-119 Appendix ..................................................................................... 120-121 2 Abstract: Since the end of the Cold War, the future of NATO has been discussed amongst scholars. Critics argue that NATO is no longer relevant, while proponents argue that is still has a viable function in the international community. This thesis asks the question, what the United States contributes to NATO missions and what does this mean to NATO's future. This thesis examines NATO mission in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, looking at the background of the mission, how and why it was created and how has the mission evolved. The evidence suggests that since September 11, 2001, the United States has been retreating from the alliance. The evidence also suggests that without the contributions of the United States (politically, economically and militarily) the alliance as a viable institution is in dire straits. 3 INTRODUCTION On April 3, 1949, ten Western European countries, the United States and Canada signed the Washington Treaty creating NAT0. 1 The purpose of this alliance was specifically stated in the Washington Treaty, more specifically through Article 5, which states "an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against all of them."2 From 1949 until the late 1980s, this North Atlantic alliance deterred potential attacks from the Soviet Union and its satellite states. Beginning in the early 1990s however, NATO's future came into question without the presence of the Soviet Union. Yet NATO was able to develop new missions and capabilities that allowed the alliance to evolve within the "new" Europe. With the subsequent NATO missions in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo it appeared that the alliance had evolved into a new alliance and its new Strategic Concept adopted in 1991 appeared to be the right course of action for the alliance to remain vital to European security in the 21st Century. On September 11, 2001 however, the security of the world changed with the terrorist attack~ in New York City and Washington D.C., as did U.S. foreign policy. Critics and proponents of NATO saw the attacks of September 11th in different ways. Critics saw the subsequent military actions that were dominated by the United States in Afghanistan as a demonstration of NATO's fading efficacy. Proponents saw the enactment of Article 5 and NATO coming to the United States' defense as a sign of 4 continuing vitality of the alliance m the Post-Cold War/Post-September 11th environment. 3 Most of the literature since the Cold War's end pertaining to alliance formation, more specifically to NATO itself, has dealt mostly with either its imminent demise or its future prosperity. Much of this recent literature has dealt with the lack of an "external threat," which leads directly to the question of NATO's future and its relevance. This thesis will depart from this traditional literature and look more directly at NATO in terms of U.S. foreign policy towards NATO and more specifically the United States' contributions to the alliance militarily and operationally. The fundamental question to be addressed in this research is what NATO's future is, focusing primarily on what operational and military contributions the United States makes within the alliance, given its leadership position over the past 55 years. This research will take a much different approach than past scholars by looking directly at operational and military contributions to NATO and its impact on the future of the alliance after September 11th. NATO has long been a mechanism for a U.S. leadership role in European security. In the post­ September 11th environment, where terrorism has become the "external threat" to NATO members, it is increasingly important to the security of both Europe and the United States to understand NATO's future in light of the many critics who question its relevance today. Ultimately, this thesis examines the direction the U.S. has taken in its operational and military contributions towards NATO in the post-9/11 environment and what these contributions suggest about its future viability. The literature that pertains to the future prosperity of NATO fits generally into two fundamental arguments; those that believe NATO is no longer relevant and those that 5 believe it is. These arguments can be placed chronologically into three different periods. The first scholars are very critical of NATO's future arguing that the alliance has seen better days and will soon meet its demise. These scholars were loudest in the early 1990s soon after the fall of the Soviet block. In the subsequent years, after NATO adopted a new Strategic Concept and expanded its membership for the first time since the end of the Cold War, these scholars began to quiet.4 At this time other scholars began to argue that because NATO was able to evolve in the new international environment it would be able to continue as an important vehicle for European security. However, the scholars that believed that NATO is no longer relevant have once again resurfaced after the alliance's problems in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq. This thesis is important because now more than ever the future of the alliance is being questioned. The literature pertaining to NATO's evolution as well as the literature calling for its complete collapse will be tested through three case studies explained below. Essentially, these cases will examine how the U.S. worked within the NATO structure to accomplish these missions. Three case studies will be examined to help shed some light on the U.S./NATO relationship in the post-September 11th environment. The first case will examine U.S. operational and military contributions towards the mission in Kosovo, including Operation Allied Force and Operation Joint Guardian (KFOR). The second case will examine NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which has been set up in Afghanistan as a peacekeeping organization. Furthermore, this chapter will include a discussion of the "collective defense" initiative of Article