Marie-Josée Bouffard

North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a military alliance formed between 26 nations to enforce the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949. It provides a unique link between these two continents for consultation and cooperation in the field of defense and security, and the conduct of multinational crisis-management operations. NATO was originallyformed to combat the spread of communism, but has grown since then to provide a mutual defense from external threats. As of 2008, NATO is made up of these nations: Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States. The organization is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.