Part one, what is a western country.
Let’s look at a concept briefly. In Western countries, this concept has different definitions in different time periods and scenarios. Generally speaking, Western countries have the following characteristics: First, Western countries generally have Western culture based on ancient Greek and ancient Roman culture as the mainstream culture. Western culture originated in Europe and is rooted in ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Roman culture. Second, Western countries are generally countries dominated by white Europeans. Third, economically, most Western countries are developed countries, and they are basically at the top of the global economic chain.
Western countries
What are the Western countries? Generally speaking, it is mainly the United States and Canada in Europe and North America, Australia and New Zealand in Oceania , EU countries and Five Eyes Alliance countries (the Five Eyes Alliance is an intelligence organization, specifically including the United States, the United Kingdom , Canada, Australia and New Zealand) generally belong to Western countries. , Norway, , , Switzerland, and other countries that do not belong to the EU are also typical Western countries. There is controversy over whether countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Israel in the Middle East and belong to Western countries. Russians belong to white Europeans, and Russian culture also belongs to Western culture. However, most Western countries do not recognize Russia as a Western country.
Distribution of European Americans
The United States is located in North America. As of 2020, European Americans still account for about two-thirds of the total population of the United States. The mainstream culture in the United States is based on British culture and European culture. Canada in North America, Australia and New Zealand in Oceania are also countries where Europeans make up the majority of the population, and the mainstream culture is also Western culture. Therefore, although the United States and Canada in North America and Australia and New Zealand in Oceania are not in Europe, they also belong to Western countries.
Part 2, why Australia did not join NATO .
NATO is a military alliance in the Western world and an important military force in the Western world. Canada as far away as North America has joined NATO, so why has Australia not joined NATO? I think there may be several reasons for : First, it is related to the nature, purpose and scope of NATO. In 1949, under the leadership of the United States, the United States, Canada, France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway and other countries established NATO. It can be said that NATO was established under the planning of the United States. The United States was the organizer and leader of the establishment of NATO.
Marshall Plan
Why did the United States establish NATO as a military organization? After World War II , two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, formed in the world. After that, the two began to confront each other, especially in Europe, where the confrontation was fierce. On the one hand, the United States began to assist Western European countries through the Marshall Plan. On the other hand, the United States also wanted to unite Western European countries to fight against the Soviet Union. Under the leadership of the United States, NATO was established. The establishment of NATO was of great benefit to the United States. On the one hand, it used NATO to fight the Soviet Union. On the other hand, the United States controlled the European defense system through NATO. This was an important foundation for its global hegemony.
NATO and the Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union was not a vegetarian. In 1955, the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries formed the Warsaw Pact. Since then, NATO and the Warsaw Pact had fierce confrontation. In 1991, the Warsaw Pact was disbanded. NATO is a regional military alliance. The full name of NATO is North Atlantic Treaty Organization . The name of this organization actually explains its geographical scope, which is the countries along the coast of the North Atlantic . Specifically, North America. and European regions.
NATO and the Warsaw Pact
The purpose of the United States in establishing NATO was firstly to contain the Soviet Union, and secondly to control the defense of countries in western Europe.Why did Canada join NATO from the beginning? Before World War II, Canada mainly relied on the United Kingdom, and the relationship between Canada and the United States was sometimes even hostile. After World War II, the United Kingdom "subdued" to the United States, and Canada also began to "follow the lead of the United States." Geographically, Canada It was also very close to the Soviet Union, so from the beginning, the United States roped in Canada.
Turkey
Why did Türkiye, which is not a Western country, join NATO? First, geographically, most of Turkey's territory is located in Asia, but a small part of Turkey's territory is located in Europe. In addition, Turkey considers itself a European country, and Turkey believes that integrating with Europe can bring huge benefits to it. Second, for the United States and Europe, the Turkish Strait has huge strategic value. The Turkish Strait owned by Turkey is the only natural channel connecting the Black Sea and the outside world Mediterranean Sea . After NATO controls the Turkish Strait, it can be more effective to contain the Soviet Union and later Russia on the Black Sea coast.
Turkey
Although Australia is also a Western country and is in the same group as the United States and the United Kingdom, Australia, which is far away in Oceania, is far away from the Soviet Union, Europe, and North America. North America, Europe, and Russia are all part of the earth. ’s northern tip, while Australia is at the southern tip of the earth.
Australia
Secondly, the concerns of both sides are different. NATO's focus is on Europe, as well as North America. Among them, I think Europe is NATO's core focus. It is precisely because of the existence of NATO that it has become difficult for the EU to develop an independent defense system. In modern times, whether it is economic or military , technology and other factors, Europe is still one of the important and influential regions in the world. This is also one of the important reasons why the United States controls Europe through NATO. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, there was a short "honeymoon period" between Russia and Western countries. After that, the United States still used NATO to suppress Russia. By suppressing Russia, it allowed European allies to unite around the United States.
Although Australia has close personnel and economic and trade exchanges with the United States, Canada and Europe. Among the five English-speaking countries, the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, the flow of personnel between them is almost free. However, due to its geographical Due to its location, Australia also has important economic and trade exchanges with the Asia-Pacific region. The Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions are areas of great concern to Australia. For Australia, there is no reason to rush to join NATO.
Third, at present, the actual significance of Australia joining NATO is not very significant. In fact, I think that since NATO's rival Warsaw Pact disbanded in 1991, NATO may have had a brief "period of confusion". After that, NATO's leader, the United States, immediately used NATO as a tool to suppress Russia and divide Europe. After that, NATO began to expand eastward. A harmonious Europe, a Europe in which Russia has harmonious relations with other European countries, is not in the interest of the United States. For the United States, it is enough to have European countries, Canada in North America, and Turkey in Asia. It is enough to use these countries to contain Russia, and there is no need for Australia, which is far away.
Part 3: In the future, Australia has the possibility of joining NATO.
In fact, in my opinion, the so-called NATO is "a military mutual assistance contract" between the 30 current NATO member states. The core of the North Atlantic Treaty is probably its Article 5, "Once it is confirmed that a member state is under attack, other member states will respond immediately." This article is understood to mean that if a NATO member state is attacked by another country, other NATO member states will Will automatically join the battle. However, the key to this situation still depends on the response of the United States. In NATO, the military strength of the United States is outstanding. In addition, the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, Germany, Italy and other countries also have considerable military strength, such as Spain, Poland Other countries also have certain military strength, while many small countries have average military strength.
NATO
When other countries develop armed conflicts with a certain NATO member state, it is really difficult to say how many other NATO countries will participate in the war. For example, some NATO countries just do not abide by this "military mutual assistance contract", you NATO What can be done? A collective "gang attack" on this NATO member state? This still depends on the reaction of NATO's leading brother, the United States. If the United States abides by the contract, the probability that other NATO members will abide by the contract is high. Another situation is if two NATO member states start a fight. What will NATO do at this time?
In my opinion, the core country of NATO is the United States. Many small countries actually rely on the so-called "protection" of the United States. As for whether the United States will really protect it, I think it depends on the specific actual situation. If a NATO member state is attacked by another country, if other countries fail to fulfill their military mutual assistance contracts, it may not have a fatal impact on NATO. However, if the United States fails to fulfill its military mutual assistance contracts, it will basically mean that NATO will be disbanded. . Therefore, I still hold this view, that is, NATO is "a military mutual assistance contract", and the specifics depend on the ability and effectiveness of fulfilling the contract.
English Department Five Countries
In fact, the relationship between the United States and the four countries of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand is better than the relationship between the United States and most of its NATO allies. The above five countries, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, are all English-speaking countries. They have great similarities and homology in the fields of race, language, culture, etc. They are members of the "Five Eyes Alliance", an intelligence sharing organization. , being able to share intelligence shows that the relationship between these five countries is quite close. Among the allies of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are the real "iron buddies" of the United States. The remaining countries, such as Germany, France, Israel, and Japan, have to take a back seat.
Iraq
Since World War II, countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada have been die-hard allies of the United States. Around the world, the military operations of the above-mentioned countries can often be seen in military operations led by the US military. Facts speak louder than words. For example, when the US-UK coalition attacked Iraq in 2003, several countries participated in the invasion phase. They were the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Poland, and Italy and the Netherlands. Provide support. For another example, in the Afghan war from 2001 to 2021, these countries participated in the initial invasion stage. They were the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, and Italy.
War
Like Canada, after World War II, since the decline of Australia's original big brother, the United Kingdom, Australia immediately began to "follow the lead of the United States." Australia is one of the major non-NATO allies of the United States, and the two have military alliance contracts. Since World War II, Australia has spared no effort in following the United States. Australia is the only U.S. ally that has participated in all major U.S. military operations around the world since World War II.
NATO's eastward expansion
Australia also has a very close relationship with NATO. Australia has actively participated in many NATO military operations. Since the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact in 1991, NATO has continued to target Russia. NATO has also begun to become "multi-functional" and pay attention to other issues such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, global warming, and energy security, trying to find ways for itself to continue to exist. reason. In addition, in recent years, NATO has not only actively expanded eastward, but also has the impulse and signs of expansion to other parts of the world. If NATO further "globalizes" and "Asia-Pacificizes", then it is very likely that Australia will join NATO.
