Sweden will join NATO alliance: Here are the 31 member countries already in NATO
NATO members will soon get another ally. Sweden overcame the last major hurdle toward NATO membership in late February and is on its way to becoming the alliance’s 32nd member country.
Sweden petitioned to join NATO nearly two years ago with Finland, but while the latter quickly gained NATO membership, Hungary and Turkey opposed Sweden’s admission. Turkey shifted its stance, throwing its support behind Sweden in July 2023, and Hungary’s parliament has now approved the application. This addition will reinforce the eastern region of the alliance and increase NATO’s presence around the Baltic Sea.
Here are the other countries Sweden now calls an ally.
What countries are in NATO?
Sweden will join the 31 established member countries known as the NATO Allies. Other nations include:
Albania
Belgium
Bulgaria
Canada
Croatia
Czechia
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Montenegro
Netherlands
North Macedonia
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
Why was NATO formed?
According to NATO, the alliance was formed for three purposes: In response to threats from the Soviet Union, to forbid a nationalistic militarism revival "in Europe with a strong North American presence on the continent, and to encourage European political integration."
NATO spawned after World War II, the deadliest international conflict in history.
Unlike the destruction caused during World War I, which was largely confined to battlefields, countries and cities were decimated across Europe. Estimated damages amounted to more than $1 trillion, according to Britannica.
As a result of this mass destruction, European nations required heavy aid to rebuild their economies. They largely looked to the U.S. to help in their recovery efforts because of its economic prosperity.
U.S. Secretary of State John Marshall proposed a large-scale economic recovery program called the "European Recovery Program," also known as the "Marshall Plan." The Marshall Plan, enacted in 1948, intended to facilitate European economic integration and promote a shared idea of cooperation between Europe and the U.S. The program, which provided $15 billion in economic aid to Europe, was also meant to halt the spread of communism in Europe.
The Soviet Union was invited to join the Marshall Plan but refused. This added to the growing divide between Eastern and Western Europe and became a catalyst for the formation of NATO, according to History.com.
In April 1949, the 12 founding member countries signed the North Atlantic Treaty. These countries were:
Belgium
Canada
Denmark
France
Iceland
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
United Kingdom
United States
What does NATO stand for?
NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is a collective of member states that work toward shared political and military security through alliance.
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Contributing: Caitlin McLean, Janet Loehrke
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What countries are in NATO? Here are the 31 allies Sweden will join.
