310 CHAPTER EigHT ■ War and Strife
and biological weapons makes them difficult to detect, so it is hard to guarantee com-
pliance. Liberals place their faith in a combination of the self- interest of states ( these
programs are expensive) and international institutions such as the IAEA to monitor
adherence to such limited disarmament schemes.
nato: Managing Insecurity in a changing environment
Managing insecurity is a par tic u lar challenge in times of transition in the international
system. Such transitions can occur when major powers undergo a change in their actual
or perceived ability to proj ect power, protect allies, or threaten enemies. The end of the
Cold War was such a moment of transition, as the Soviet Union dissolved and commu-
nist regimes were replaced with proto- democratic ones. The collapse of the Soviet Union
brought an immediate end to the Warsaw Pact, leaving many countries in Eastern
Eu rope without a major power ally. The end of the Cold War also affected NATO, the
Western alliance whose purpose was to balance the now- defunct Warsaw Pact. With
this change, some scholars predicted the imminent demise of NATO. What happened,
however, was not the organ ization’s demise but its reconfiguration in terms of both the
tasks it undertakes and the expansion of its membership.
With the bloody civil war in Yugo slavia and attendant refugee crises in Eu rope,
NATO increasingly took on peacekeeping and stabilization roles in Bosnia. In 1999,
NATO undertook its largest military operation since its creation in 1949: Operation
Allied Force, the air war over Serbia. Without UN authorization, NATO forces con-
ducted a 78- day air war against the Federal Republic of Yugo slavia in an attempt to
halt attacks against ethnic Albanians in the Serbian province of Kosovo. The war
resulted in a popu lar uprising and the attendant overthrow of the Serbian leadership,
the extradition of the Serbian strongman Slobodan Milošević to the Hague War Crimes
Tribunal, and the petition by Serbia to join NATO’s Partnership for Peace program.
Since the “global war on terrorism” began in September 2001, NATO has sought
to maintain its relevance in the new security environment.^34 NATO has enhanced its
operational capabilities to keep up with technology, created a rapid reaction force to
respond to crises, and streamlined its military command structure. It has employed
forces “out of area” in Af ghan i stan and Libya. Its members have helped train the Iraqi
military, although the organ ization did not join the U.S.- led co ali tion in Iraq.
NATO membership has also expanded as its tasks have diversified. In 1999, the
first wave of new members following the end of the Cold War, including Poland, Hun-
gary, and the Czech Republic, were admitted. These new members were to be con-
tributors to enhanced security in the region, not just the recipients of a security umbrella.
It has proven more difficult than anticipated, however, to convince these states to make