ABSTRACT
In view of the vast literature dealing with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), it is curious that there is comparatively little in-depth analysis of the southern region of the Alliance, there appear to be two reasons for this. First, the southern region of the Alliance has frequently been treated as an afterthought by the individuals and governments that have shaped NATO's history. Second, the area is extremely diverse and complex, and therefore difficult to study as a single unit. The tendency on the part of many NATO planners to treat the southern region as an afterthought can be traced to the formative period of the Alliance. The preamble to the North Atlantic Treaty states that the Alliance is "founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law," The southern region posed problems in this regard from the beginning.
