Point: NATO Has Outlived its Effectiveness.

NORTH Atlantic Treaty Organization; INTERNATIONAL organization; MEMBERSHIP; COLD War, 1945-1991; REITER, Dan; COLLEGE teachers; ECONOMIC development

The article presents an argument against the rush of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to expand its membership. It discusses the effectiveness of the NATO during the Cold War. Professor Dan Reiter of Emory University, explains the implications of the decision of NATO to invite a group of smaller nations to join the organization to promote democracy. The impact of the cost of membership of smaller nations to the NATO on the resources that these nations should have allocated for their own economic growth is explored.