Washington, DC
NATO served as the centerpiece of America’s post-war strategy in Europe. The NATO umbrella has helped Europe enjoy more than 50 years without war among its major powers, the longest such period in modern history. It has also helped shape an environment in which pluralist democracies have emerged and flourished.
Now the Cold War has ended, as has NATO’s original mission of containing the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. But NATO’s larger purpose of securing an alliance with democratic European nations for peace in Europe and the Atlantic region abides. From anchoring the democracies in a divided Europe, NATO now must turn to securing emerging democracies in a united Europe.
The AFL-CIO has always been committed to building democracy and freedom abroad. American unions understand that democratic governments are grounded on the bedrock of freedom of association, on vibrant civil societies that include independent trade unions, political parties, and a free press. Independent trade unions and democratic freedoms reinforce and nurture each other.
Throughout the cold war, the American labor movement strongly supported our commitment to NATO. In that same spirit today, we support the transformation of NATO and its expansion to include the new democracies of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.
NATO membership can provide a sense of security vital to democratic freedom within these nations. But if their admission to NATO is desirable, it is not sufficient. Common security requires more than military defense.
Enlarging the security alliance must not exhaust our commitment to these fragile democracies. We must renew the early enthusiasm for supporting strong civil societies in the countries of East and Central Europe. We must avoid a one-size-fits-all blind devotion to simple free-market economic reforms. Markets alone do not ensure democratic freedoms or secure democratic governance.
We must remember that democratic renewal in post-war Europe was reinforced by a broad and deep commitment to social justice and economic equity. Neither markets nor democracy worked without a strong civil society -- including free trade unions, political parties, and a free press.
Admission into NATO can therefore be only one part of our commitment to these nations. It is vital that they be admitted into the common European market as well as into its security arrangements. It is vital that the United States and its European allies, old and new, remain committed to building strong civil societies, and not merely modern militaries.
NATO expansion can serve to extend peace and freedom, to unite Europe, not divide it. To do so, it must be matched by increased support for democratic institutions and freedoms in the new member countries. It is with this understanding that the AFL-CIO endorses the admission of the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary into NATO.