The Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA) is an

umbrella organization An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...

which draws together political leaders, academics, military officials, and diplomats to support the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

(NATO). The ATA is an independent organization that is separate from NATO.

History

The ATA was created on 18 June 1954. Since the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist repub ...

, the role of the Atlantic Treaty Association has changed considerably. In 1992, the ATA Constitution was amended to accommodate associate members and observers from non-NATO countries. In 1992, the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria joined the ATA as its first associated member from a non-NATO country. Given NATO's shifting nature, the ATA now works beyond the borders of the Euro-Atlantic area, operating in Central and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...

, the Mediterranean, and the South

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

. Following the accession of new NATO countries in 1999 and 2004, ATA membership expanded considerably, and its security focus has shifted south and eastward. The ATA is active in NATO's

Partnership for Peace The Partnership for Peace (PfP; french: Partenariat pour la paix) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) program aimed at creating trust between the member states of NATO and other states mostly in Europe, including post-Soviet state ...

(PfP) and

Mediterranean Dialogue The Mediterranean Dialogue, first launched in 1994, is a forum of cooperation between NATO and seven countries of the Mediterranean. Its stated aim is "to create good relations and better mutual understanding and confidence throughout the region, pr ...

programs and is increasingly engaged with officials and institutions based in members of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) and Partners Across the Globe.

Mission

The Atlantic Treaty Association's stated mission is to support the values set forth in the North Atlantic Treaty: freedom,

liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

security" \n\n\nsecurity.txt is a proposed standard for websites' security information that is meant to allow security researchers to easily report security vulnerabilities. The standard prescribes a text file called \"security.txt\" in the well known locat ...

, and the rule of law. As such, the ATA aims to serve as a forum for debate in which member associations can realize common interests and democratic goals. The youth branch of the ATA, the Youth Atlantic Treaty Association (YATA) was created in 1996. YATA seeks to educate and promote debate among youth in order to create responsible future political leaders who have an understanding of the values set forth in the North Atlantic Treaty.

Structure

The ATA is composed of three main bodies: the Assembly, the Bureau, and the Council.

The Assembly

The Assembly is the top decision-making body of the ATA and is composed of delegates from Member, Associate Member, and Observer Member associations. With the exception of Observer Members, each delegate has one vote, and resolutions are passed by a simple majority. In addition to the delegates, members of the press and academic community, government and military officials, and international observers may attend the General Assembly meetings, which are held once a year.

The Bureau

The Bureau includes the president, vice presidents, secretary general, treasurer, YATA president and the legal adviser. Members of the Bureau assist in carrying out the decisions of the Council and the Assembly and aid in policy matters.

The Council

The Council comprises Bureau members plus up to three delegates from each of the ATA Member, Associate Member and Observer Member associations. The ATA allows the Council to take action on its behalf, with the recommendation of the Bureau and the approval of the Assembly. The Council holds two meetings a year: one at

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Headquarters and one in a host country.

Member organizations

NATO countries

*Albania, Albanian Atlantic Association *Belgium, Association Atlantique Belge *Bulgaria, The Atlantic Club of Bulgaria *Canada, NATO Association of Canada *Croatia, Atlantic Council of Croatia *Czechia, Jagello 2000 *Denmark, Atlantsammenslutningen *Estonia, Estonian Atlantic Treaty Association *Germany, Deutsche Atlantische Gesellschaft *Greece, Greek Association for Atlantic and European Cooperation *Hungary, Hungarian Atlantic Council *Iceland, Samtök um Vestraena Samvinnu *Italy, Comitato Italiano Atlantico *Latvia, Latvian Transatlantic Organization *Lithuania, Lithuanian Atlantic Treaty Association *Netherlands, De Atlantische Commissie *Norway, Den Norske Atlanterhavskomite *Portugal, Comissão Portuguesa do Atlântico *North Macedonia, Euro-Atlantic Club of the Republic of Macedonia *Romania, Euro-Atlantic Council *Slovakia, GLOBSEC *Slovenia, The Euro-Atlantic Council of Slovenia *Spain, Asociación Atlantica Española *Turkey, Türk Atlantik Antlaşması Derneği *United Kingdom, Atlantic Council of the United Kingdom *United States, Atlantic Council

Partnership for Peace countries

*Armenia, Armenian Atlantic Association *Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan Atlantic Cooperation *Georgia, Georgian Association of Atlantic Collaboration *Finland, Atlantic Council of Finland *Serbia, Atlantic Council of Serbia *Sweden, Swedish Atlantic Council *Ukraine, The Atlantic Council of Ukraine

Presidents

* 2003–2008: Bob Hunter, former US Ambassador to

(

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

) * 2008–2015: Karl A. Lamers (

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) * 2015–2020: Fabrizio Luciolli (

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

) * 2020-present: James J. Townsend (

)

References

External links

* {{authority control Organizations related to NATO International political organizations Organizations established in 1954 1954 establishments in the United States