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On day four of our “Road to Chicago” series we’re in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We’re
meeting high school students as they learn about NATO during a history class.
Ask these students at North Hills Senior High before the lesson what they know about NATO
and they’ll show you this. History teacher Lauren Vales is covering the
end of World War II and the foundation of NATO with her students.
Today as we join her class they’re talking about how the Alliance started off in 1949
with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington.
“The Treaty we are signing here today is evidence of the path they will follow. If
there is anything inevitable in the future, it is the will of the people in the world
for freedom and for peace.” “After World War II, Europe was broken down
politically and economically and they needed something to unify them. So they looked towards
the United States, because the United States was pretty stable and so creating a peace
treaty with them would help them rebuild and get to where they are today.
Ms Vales introduces the basic principle of collective defence on which the Alliance was
founded. Article 5, which says that attack against one member, is an attack against all.
“Article 5 - all of the member nations of NATO come to one another’s aid if they’re
attacked.” The students discuss how that Article was
never invoked throughout the Cold War, but was only applied much more recently, to stand
by America the day after 9/11. “I think it really shows the European nations
and NATO, it shows their commitment to the Alliance. It shows 50 years after the formation
of this Organization and they’re willing, the day after on one of the members, they’re
willing to come and fly jets up and down the coast and aid in a war against an enemy that’s
really not tangible.” But with the Cold War long over, this new
generation recognizes that the world is in a new era of security threats and among their
primary concerns are cyber threats. “I would say that cyber threats and advanced
technology is definitely a threat because you don’t really need… before we had people
fighting wars and eventually it will be computers and systems that we set up to fight wars and
all you need is someone to steal the keys to the system.”
“Basically whoever has the most advanced technology wins. Having the most technologically
savvy people from all the countries in the world like in NATO is extremely valuable because
that puts you one step ahead of people who are trying to break into your security.”
Time’s up for our history lesson. We say thank you to Ms Vales and her students and
get back on the road again. We head on to Cleveland, our next destination on the “Road
to Chicago”.