North Atlantic Treaty Organization...What Do We Know?

     What do we know of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization--NATO?
     NATO is one of the organizations spoken of in discussions of how the no-fly zone over Libya will be implemented.  Yet, just as with the Arab League, it seems we have a nebulous sense of NATO.
      The implementation of the no-fly zone--the likely involvement of NATO leads me to ask basic--very basic--questions.  First, when was NATO founded?  Where is it headquartered?  Who were its founding members?  Who are its current members?  NATO is not a singular amoebic body.  It is a sum of its parts.
     We need to know more about its parts.  Are the NATO member nations part of other world partnerships--the UN?
     If so, did they have a vote on the UN Security Council Resolution 1973, which approved the no-fly zone?
     OK.  Too many questions.  Let's get some answers.  Let's get a sense of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
     First, NATO was founded in 1949--four years after the founding of the Arab League, and the United Nations.  It is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
     NATO is comprised of 28 independent member countries.
     The  member nations of NATO are:  Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
     Canada, and the United States round out the roster of NATO member nations.
     Four NATO members are serving on the UN Security Council currently.  France, the United Kingdom, and the United States voted in favor of Resolution 1973.  Germany abstained.
     In addition to the 28 member nations, apparently, there are "partner countries."  The first group of partner countries is called the "Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council"--the EAPC.  The member nations of the Council include Armenia, Austria, Azerbijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzogovina, Finland, Ireland, Kazakhstan, the Kyrghyz Republic, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,  Malta, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
     Wake up.  I know your eyes are glazing over.  Your attention is waining.
     Yet, this is important.  We need to know who our neighbors on this earth are.  Peace depends upon it.
     NATO has a NATO Mediterranian Dialogue.  It consists of seven countries in the Mediterranian Sea, including:  Algeria, Egypt, Israel,  Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia.
     Next, are these seven Dialogue nations members of other relevant partnerships? Yes. Six of the seven countries are members of the Arab League.  Obviously, Israel is not a member of the Arab League.
     Stay with me.  Two more partnerships of NATO need to be identified.
     First, the Instanbul Cooperative Initiative.  The ICI consists of five countries:  Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.  ICI members address security issues--military readiness, and terrorism.  NATO identifies defense reform, defense budgeting, cooperation to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.  Civil emergency planning is among other goals that guide the Istanbul Cooperative Initiative.
     Finally, four countries distant from the North Atlantic Ocean are "contact countries"--they share strategic interests of NATO.  Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand are the four ICI contact countries.
     I am left with two questions.  Libya.  Will NATO member nations become involved in implementing the Libyan no-fly zone?  If so, what nations?  I shudder to think of the extent, much less the result.
     Secondly.  Japan.
     Will NATO become involved in helping Japan to deal with the nuclear crises, or the earthquake, and tsunami that struck Japan?  Will the work done on civil emergency planning, in which Japan was a participant,  propel NATO to act?  Others have noted that NATO is waiting for a request for help by Japan.  
    Have the ICI member nations developed any strategies that Japan is or may be drawn upon to expedite addressing the immediate crises, and dealing with the longer-term rebuilding efforts in which Japan will be engaged?  Let us hope so.
      Just some thoughts.  I make no claims on any answers.  I pray for peace.