Unfinished Business

THE North Atlantic Treaty Organization ought to be celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of its founding in a mood of self-congratulation. There has never been a voluntary alliance of countries like it. NATO defended the values of democracy, self-determination, and collective security, as enshrined in the famous Atlantic Charter signed in the darkest days of the Second World War. Standing for the West as a whole, it kept the peace throughout the Cold War, playing a major part in the victory over Communism. That was a historic achievement. Lately, it has even enrolled members of the Warsaw Pact, the defunct Soviet alliance, the adversary that used to promise to bury the West.

Now, when Communism is no longer a threat in Europe and no other enemies are in view, NATO has gone to war against President Milosevic of Serbia, a former Communist. Unexpected doubt and anticlimax are clouding what might otherwise have been its moment of clear triumph. Events are unfolding whose end is unforeseeable. Milosevic and NATO cannot both be winners but they can both be losers. Boundaries in the Balkans are at stake, but more important, so are identities.

About the Author

David Pryce-Jones

David Pryce-Jones (1936–2025) was a British author and commentator and served as a senior editor of National Review.

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THE North Atlantic Treaty Organization ought to be celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of its founding in a mood of self-congratulation. There has never been a voluntary alliance of countries like it. NATO defended the values of democracy, self-determination, and collective security, as enshrined in the famous Atlantic Charter signed in the darkest days of the Second World War. Standing for the West as a whole, it kept the peace throughout the Cold War, playing a major part in the victory over Communism. That was a historic achievement. Lately, it has even enrolled members of the Warsaw Pact, the defunct Soviet alliance, the adversary that used to promise to bury the West.

Now, when Communism is no longer a threat in Europe and no other enemies are in view, NATO has gone to war against President Milosevic of Serbia, a former Communist. Unexpected doubt and anticlimax are clouding what might otherwise have been its moment of clear triumph. Events are unfolding whose end is unforeseeable. Milosevic and NATO cannot both be winners but they can both be losers. Boundaries in the Balkans are at stake, but more important, so are identities.