Gersdorff, G. v. Die Gründung der Nordatlantischen Allianz

Volume 7 of the series "Entstehung und Probleme des Atlantischen Bündnisses" published by the Military History Research Office. Against the backdrop of disturbingly perceived threat perceptions, the author presents the national and alliance-internal decision-making processes on the way to the Atlantic Alliance and provides a comprehensive insight into the highly diverse interests and motives for which the actors agreed on a solidary alliance in a multinational perspective.

The consensus-building process required them to take into account economic and financial circumstances, defence policy and military strategy conditions, a high degree of empathy for patterns of thought in the history of mentalities, the overcoming of ideological reservations, and a sense for the necessary considerations of domestic politics, party politics and socio-politics.
When the North Atlantic Alliance was launched, it successfully took into account the tension between national self-preservation and alliance solidarity through an adaptable and versatile treaty design. Therein lies one of the secrets that makes NATO's longevity understandable from its very beginnings.