NATO was formed, originally, to protect
Europe.
Not exactly right. NATO was formed, originally, to make sure that Russia knew that if it attacked any NATO country, it would be counter-attacked by all. If we had had a NATO type treaty in place in 1938, and Poland had been a member, WWII couldn't have gotten off the ground because England, France, and the U.S. would have been required immediately come to Poland's defense as soon as German forces crossed its border. Hitler succeeded only because there was no mutual defense accord, and the European countries dithered while he acted. After the war, some countries recognized this, recognized the expansionist tendencies of the USSR, and said we need to make clear that the Hitler process won't happen again. |
