N’oublions pas l’OTAN

Infographie : F. Descheemaekere

Don’t Forget NATO

[The New York Times]

In awarding this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union, the Nobel committee quite rightly noted the E.U.’s critical role in Europe’s transformation “from a Continent of war to a Continent of peace.” But as Europeans celebrate what they have accomplished since World War II, they should not forget that without the United States and NATO, they could not have been successful.

By creating economic interdependence and then building deep political, cultural and societal ties, the Union enabled Western Europeans — and later Central and Eastern Europeans — to build prosperity. The horror of two world wars receded into the past. But prosperity is only possible when security is assured. And without the United States and NATO, peace would not have been possible. Founded in 1949, an alliance built among the United States, Canada and Western Europe guaranteed Western Europeans that they would not be overrun by Soviet tanks.
During the four decades of the Cold War, the knowledge that the United States would come to their defense allowed the Europeans to focus on building their miracle.

Lire : nytimes.com