logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2015
23m 11s

How Strong Is NATO?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

War in Ukraine and the threat of conflict in the Baltics raise fundamental questions about the West’s military alliance. What is NATO for? And is it up to the job? More countries have been joining the club, but those who foot the bill seem to be becoming less keen to do so. Do would-be aggressors still believe that an attack on one NATO member would be treated as an attack on all? Our witnesses include a former senior commander and the man who, until a few months ago, led the alliance.

(Photo: Romanian army soldiers from the guard regiment hold NATO membership countries' flags at NATO flag raising ceremony in Bucharest, 2004. Credit: Daniel Mihailescu/AFP/Getty Images)

Up next
Oct 7
Is Trump building a crypto economy?
Donald Trump once dismissed cryptocurrencies as a scam. But since returning to office, his view of them has shifted dramatically. In July, President Trump signed new legislation aimed at integrating crypto into the financial mainstream. Members of the Trump family have launched t ... Show More
23m 2s
Sep 30
Why are more people getting Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection passed on to humans by infected ticks. Symptoms can range from fatigue, joint pain and a circular shaped rash to facial paralysis and heart arrythmia. According to a British Medical Journal (BMJ) global health review, Lyme disease has likely ... Show More
22m 58s
Sep 23
Why does Mexico owe the US water?
The major rivers of the Rio Grande and the Colorado run through both the United States and Mexico and they are the source of a water sharing agreement between the two countries that dates back to 1944. Under the terms of this treaty, Mexico must send 430 million cubic metres of w ... Show More
22m 59s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2022
Russia, Ukraine and the NATO question
Today, on the ground in Kyiv, where the battle for control continues. And NATO 101: how NATO came to be, how its mission has evolved since the end of the Cold War, and why two nonmembers are challenging the way the security organization is seen. Read more: Ukraine is not a member ... Show More
21m 38s
May 2022
🇺🇦 NATO – An Alliance Revived?
As Sweden and Finland apply to join NATO, ending decades of military neutrality, how has Putin's invasion revived an alliance described as 'Braindead' by Emmanuel Macron just two years ago? Lord Peter Ricketts, a former Permanent Representative to NATO, ex-ambassador to France an ... Show More
39m 3s
Jun 2022
Война. Как НАТО будет противостоять России
В этом выпуске подкаста “Что это было” корреспондент Би-би-си Ольга Ившина рассказывает о ходе саммита НАТО в Мадриде.0:00 Приветствие, ведущий - Илья Кизиров00:31 Почему нынешний саммит настолько важен?Что говорят лидеры НАТО?1:31 Что говорят лидеры НАТО?3:52 Что в НАТО думают о ... Show More
17m 27s
Oct 2021
Are NATO and Russia on a collision course?
The tense relationship between Russia and NATO has hit its lowest point since the end of the Cold War. Moscow is breaking ties with the alliance after accusations of spying. So, is Russia on a collision course with NATO? Join host Hashem Ahelbarra. Guests: Dmitry Babich - Politic ... Show More
22m 11s
Jun 2022
Inside this year's crucial NATO summit
NATO leaders are gathered in Madrid for the most consequential meeting in the organization’s history. The summit kicked off by enlarging the alliance, giving Putin more NATO, not less: when Sweden and Finland become NATO member states, it will lengthen Russia’s border with the al ... Show More
54m 38s
Apr 2022
What is NATO?
In the years after World War II, twelve countries in North America and Europe got together to form an alliance. This alliance, known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, would build up the collective military and security strength of every country involved - so an attack on ... Show More
32m 36s