Speeches, Remarks and Interviews
Why The
"Vjesnik" - March 29, 2007
In May of 2008, a little more than a year from now, the leaders of the NATO Alliance will meet in Romania and decide to invite new members to join. President Bush has already made clear that the United States will support an invitation for Croatia, based upon Croatia's progress in preparing itself for membership and upon the Croatian government's promise to continue the challenging work of preparing to join the Alliance. Our position also reflects the strong belief that bringing new countries into NATO - countries which share the alliance's commitment to peace and prosperity - will contribute to the security of all the members.
Why does the U.S. support Croatia? It is very important to remember that although NATO has an imposing headquarters in Brussels, it is not an autonomous organization with its own foreign policy. NATO has no battleships, air force or infantry. NATO is merely the sum of its parts, a voluntary organization joined in a collaborative enterprise, whose members offer their expertise, highly trained personnel, equipment and spirit in a common effort to ensure the peace, rescue the imperiled, and when necessary to protect its members against aggression. Everything I've learned about Croatia tells me this young yet remarkable country has much to contribute in each of these areas.
And while the U.S. is NATO's strongest member, we are only one member. Decision-making in the alliance requires consensus and involves negotiation and compromise. Each member participates, and each has its own unique contribution, in this effort. And in today's NATO, a strengthened Europe is now more assertive and more aware of its responsibility for its own security. Its members are also aware that security at home increasingly means ensuring the security of others afield. This is why NATO member countries and aspirants have played such an important role in protecting the innocent in Sudan, keeping the peace in Kosovo, and preventing the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Each of its members has made its own special contribution, and Croatia's highly trained, highly motivated volunteers have already played an enormously positive role.
In an important way, our support for Croatia's NATO candidacy is a logical continuation of our policy over the past twelve years, which began as Croatia emerged from the brutality of the war. Determined to ensure there is never again a return to the past, the U.S. embarked on a broad policy of assistance in the entire region to support critical steps such as demining, rebuilding and strengthening of democratic institutions. In the same way, we also view Croatia's membership in NATO as a firm break from the conflicts of the past century, as Croatia asserts its historical place in the heart of Europe - a Europe that is whole, free and forever at peace.
I have traveled three times now to Vukovar, and have been impressed by all the hard work that has gone to rebuilding and to moving beyond the tragedy that struck the people of this beautiful town. But to me, Vukovar's wartime experience also tells a story of what can happen when countries wait too long to get involved, when they say "it's not my problem." Today's NATO alliance has moved beyond the reluctance of the past, and Croatia has a role in this more forward-thinking organization. Croatia has demonstrated in Afghanistan and its U.N. peacekeeping support that it understands the importance of acting when necessary.
As the prospect of an invitation to join NATO becomes more real, many Croatians are asking themselves what it means to join NATO. What are the benefits of membership, but also what are the obligations? Consider a few examples where Croatia's expertise may be critical: If a natural disaster occurs within a member country, such as the severe flooding of 2002 in the Czech Republic, NATO members may resolve to offer their resources and expertise to help those affected. If an earthquake strikes a non-member country, as it did in Pakistan in 2005, NATO member countries may decide that it is their moral duty to deliver assistance to the victims. Most importantly, if any member is threatened or attacked, all NATO members pledge to offer their protection.
In return, all other member countries pledge to render the same assistance to Croatia, should it ever be needed. In this way, NATO membership means recognizing that we are stronger when we are together, that our neighbors' safety and prosperity is in our own interest, that what matters is not the will of individual countries but the collective determination found in an alliance. The U.S. sees an important role for Croatia in this noble endeavor.