It will take the three perhaps 10 or 15 years to bring their military capabilities up to Alliance standards. Poles, Hungarians and Czechs were consensus choices for enlargement. These prudential considerations have their place. But they should not be allowed to muffle a principled commitment to taking in other European democracies as they meet NATO standards. Different formulas on how and when to do it, on what terms, with what numbers and in what order are kicking around.
Further discussion is necessary to clarify the procedure.
The European Union has its own complementary part to play in opening the door to all the eligible democracies. This is what NATO enlargement, and European Union enlargement as well, is about. Name the three Eastern European nations admitted into NATO on March 12, 1999. Explain and describe the NATO enlargement dilemma. With Serbian troops apparently disregarding a NATO ultimatum to stop fighting in Kosovo and withdraw from the southern Serbian province or face air attacks, the allies could face the gravest test of their credibility since they forced a settlement of the war in Bosnia more than three years ago.