ABSTRACT
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has been the main institutional framework for the coordination of the foreign, security and defence policies of western Europe and North America. NATO governments argued that the Alliance's traditional roles of balancing Soviet/Russian power, maintaining a US role in Europe and integrating Germany into western security structures remained relevant. The Soviet Union and, after its break-up, Russia remained the single largest military power in Europe and faced an uncertain political future. Germany's growing political and economic power highlighted the importance of its integration into western security structures. NATO leaders agreed on a new Strategic Concept endorsing an Alliance role in crisis management, the development of a European Security and Defence Identity (ESDI) within the Alliance and the creation of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) to facilitate cooperation with the central/east European (CEE) states.
