ABSTRACT
The American perception of the immutability of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance—a perception that reflects in part America's ahistorical approach to international relations—is a root cause of the continuing political problems reflected in the alliance. The domestic constraints that influence the national security policy of the member nations of the Atlantic alliance include each nation's geography and history. The fact that divergent opinions within the alliance continue to cause political turmoil is a reflection less of any inherent weakness in the alliance than of a basic misunderstanding of the factors that drive alliance policy. The chapter provides some examples of issues directly affecting the NATO alliance in which the Congress has played a visible, significant role. The US Congress has both a constitutional right and an obligation to play a role in the formulation of national security policy. The Federal budget deficit is increasingly a subject of concern in the Congress and across the country.
