Is it better for a small country to join militaristic organizations?

Essay by MiliaHigh School, 12th grade March 2004

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SMALL COUNTRY

Our whole world is progressing not only in economical and social terms but in military terms as well. Huge countries formed various treaties among themselves to feel more secured, but what should small countries such as Lithuania do in such circumstances. Is it better to join these militaristic treaties or to stand aside and be neutral country? That is what I am going to talk about.

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization with headquarters in Brussels, Belgium has a purpose to enhance the stability, well-being and freedom of member countries through a system of collective defense. Countries which belong to this organization have to have economic and political cooperation and to build one huge line of defense. So if a small country joins such organization it will depend mainly on the bigger and more prosperous countries. It will happen because small country's economy during some time will adjust to NATO economy and will closely depend on it.

And if such country will want to secede from organization it won't be able to, unless it wanted for its economy to collapse. Another drawback is that this small country will have to provide more funding to military and less funding other spheres. Such action is totally unnecessary one because it could maintain army large enough to withstand bigger enemy. And if you can't maintain it why must you have it at all? Furthermore such country should send its military forces to war zone if one of the member countries was attacked. Such action would prove nothing because small army won't be able to change the course of war. And as recent results in Iraq show small countries with such little help can invite along a lot of trouble because a country looses its neutrality.

Talking about the benefits of...