Editorial: NATO needs to aim for global stability as alliance turns 75

As the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) reaches the milestone of 75 years since its creation, it stands at a crucial point with eyes on its role in this turmoil-filled world.

To counter the threat of the Soviet Union early in the Cold War, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and others formed a 12-country military alliance in 1949. If a member state was attacked, it would be taken as an attack on them all.

Although the Eastern Bloc's Warsaw Pact collective defense treaty dissolved following the end of the Cold War, NATO has continued to add member states, including eastern European countries such as Poland and the Baltic states. With the recent inclusion of Finland and Sweden in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden has claimed the now 32-member organization to be "the strongest military alliance the world has ever known."

NATO has expanded not only geographically, but in terms of its activities. Starting with its intervention into ethnic strife in places such as Bosnia and Kosovo, the organization has shifted its focus to crisis management in other regions such as in Afghanistan, a theater in the "war on terror" following the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. More recently, it has focused on defense areas such as cybersecurity and space.

Moving beyond its Western framework, NATO also has started to seek greater cooperation with Asian countries including South Korea and Japan. Vigilance toward China, with its increasingly intimidating actions, has played a part in this.

But as a result of its expansion, NATO has lost the buffer zone between its members' territory and Russia, leaving it facing off against the latter across shared borders. Avoiding a direct showdown with Moscow while supporting Ukraine requires careful navigation.

After the Cold War, the West was unable to build a stable relationship with Russia on the security front. With that failure in mind, NATO is being scrutinized over how it can pave the way for an end to the war in Ukraine.

How to maintain solidarity is another issue. Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested pulling the U.S. out of NATO, and if he is reelected in this November's presidential election, the U.S. may be less involved in the alliance. Some European countries are also embracing authoritarianism, and it is becoming difficult for members to align themselves.

If reinforced military deterrence deepens confrontation between superpowers, it could end up undermining stability at the regional level. NATO needs to repair the international order that has been thrown off by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and contribute to global stability.