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IRLS416 The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 3 Semester Hours Course Description This course will explain how an alliance of nations, formed to protect its member countries from a re-emergence of post-World War II Germany, transformed itself in order to protect Western Europe from the Warsaw Pact. It will delve into how an alliance that was purely defensive in origin evolved into an organization that conducted offensive operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and attacked a sovereign nation in an attempt to bring peace to Kosovo. It will conclude with a study on the possible future of NATO in the changing environment of Europe and America. The scope of this course focuses on the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since it’s founding to the present. The course includes the formation of the Alliance, the study of the member countries military forces, the organization and purposes of the various NATO Headquarters, the role of NATO in the Cold War, and the role NATO is playing today in the stabilization of Europe.

I'm thinkin' that there will be plenty to discuss in September. Funny thing, though. Two years ago in my very first Int. Relations class, my discussion group made a prediction that Russia would eventually intervene in Georgia, probably to completely control the oil supply to the Black Sea. As I recall, though, the heavy-duty part of our discussion was: What will NATO do when Russia does the inevitable and sticks her bear-ish nose in? NATO stuck up for Kosovo's bid for independence from Serbia, after all; how is the possible breakup of Georgia different? Do we or do we support breakaway Republics? Not bad for a bunch of newbies to the study of foreign relations, eh? Too bad there is no good answer yet.