The United States should withdraw from NATO

The following will address your objections to this resolution and clearly argue for the withdrawal of the United States from NATO: 1.The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1949. Its purpose was clear in a post WWII Europe.[1] -Western Europe in 1945 was depleted of its resources in defending itself from any hostile initiatives. [2] -The USSR was a clear threat to the borders of Western Europe with its newly gained client states in Eastern Europe, and a new military presence. [3] -Post WWII was the beginning of the nuclear era and the Cold War. [4] -The Soviets were able to have medium to long range nuclear missiles throughout Eastern Europe and the USSR with a target of the major cities of Western Europe.[5] 2.The origins of NATO are really an extension of the Marshal plan which was to provide assistance to Western Europe at a time of military and economic devastation. It had nothing to do with protecting the borders of the United States, but rather providing a defense of Europe. There was a need for a "trip wire" and a follow up plan for all of the states of Europe. Soon after NATO the Warsaw Pact emerged which gave a further need for NATO. The needs of this sort of assistance to Europe is long since gone. During the cold war the United States spent more on the defense of Europe than Europe spent on their defense. More specifically the amount spent by each American citizen on the defense of Europe was greater than that of the average citizen of Europe. 3.Such a need for Europe no longer exists. -The USSR has been dissolved along with its client states[6], so that the original threat that precipitated the creation of NATO no longer exists. -There now exists a European Union[7]. Since the purpose of NATO was to provide a united front against the Soviet threat, and essentially the EU is a united front by its nature such a mechanism no longer is needed. -The EU has a military contingency plan[8]. Since The EU has within its frame work a defense plan, NATO would be redundant. The entire premise and need for NATO has been negated. It remains an unnecessary and redundant organization. My opponent fears that the United States will have a diminished military as a result of a withdrawal from NATO, but there is no reason to believe that at all. 1.The United States still has the strongest military in the world without the support of the other members of NATO [9]. 2.By withdrawing from NATO, it does not mean that the United States will cease to have allies, so that if there were a collective need, and a common purpose as we currently do with non NATO members we could still join forces, but the obligations will be balanced by cause and need. 3.It is important to know that NATO is not a branch of the United Nations, but rather a separate and burdensome contract that is anachronistic in its existence. 1.http://www.history.com... 2.http://www.worldology.com... 3.Expansion and Coexistence by Adam Ulam, pages 189 – 191 http://www.amazon.com... 4. http://en.wikipedia.org... 5.http://en.wikipedia.org... 6.hthttp://europa.eu.... 7.htmtp://www.coldwar.org... 8.http://www.consilium.europa.eu... 9.http://www.globalfirepower.com...