NATO and Peace Organizations
Introduction
Different parts of the world have been facing international threats. Consequently, different global peace organizations have been introduced. These organizations have played a critical role of enhancing peace in different places. The North Atlantic Peace Organization (NATO) is among the prominent global peace organizations. World 
peace is considered vital for global development. Going by this perspective, different countries have come together in forming peace treaties. Among the global peace organizations that are worth noting include the New Commonwealth Society, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Peace Action, Stop the War Coalition and Common Dreams (Hyde-Price 333).
World Peace
World peace refers to the notion that all regions and countries across the world ought to have peace, freedom and happiness. World peace is a call for global non-violence. Cooperation is seen between different countries through governance as well as refraining from the use of arms in conflict resolution. Globally, violence is viewed at as a destructive act. It has caused deaths of many people while affecting socio-economic and economic welfare negatively (Alex). From the time the Second World War ended, the 5 permanent members of the UN and the UN Security Council have tried to end conflicts without getting into armed conflict.
Nevertheless, many states have gone into war or armed conflicts on several occasions. It should also be noted that despite advocating for global peace, some states have gone into war with each other. Such cases include the Iraq and Afghanistan’s invasion by the US as a way of fighting terror (Renee).
The global peace organizations are very important in the promotion of peace across the world. These organizations work with a wide range of other groups while participating in initiatives that are aimed at addressing security and peace issues in various regions of the world. Some developed nations such as France, United Kingdom and the United States have also participated in the promotion of peace. Their peace efforts are supported by various groups in the countries that have security risks and peace issues.
An example of this is the instrumental role played by NATO in promoting peace in the Middle East. Countries like the US have also been instrumental in helping other countries in their war against insurgent groups like the Al Shabaab in East Africa. All these efforts are aimed at promoting global peace.
With increased cases of extremism and radicalism, world peace is facing many challenges across the globe. Many organizations whose aim is to interfere with peace processes have emerged in the Middle East. NATO, the US and other peace organizations are playing a vital role of ensuring that these organizations do not interfere with peace processes in such places. Nevertheless, this affects peace efforts negatively.
Many extremists and radicals cite interference of administration and government’s affairs by peace organizations. This has increased the insurgents that oppose their presence in these regions while threatening both the countries that support the organizations or peace efforts and the local communities. It ought to be noted that with extremism and radicalism cases on the increase, global peace organizations have the role of ensuring the protection of civilians across the world to ensure that they do not suffer the effects of confrontations between peace keepers and radicals.
NATO
NATO refers to a global military alliance. It was established in 1949 after the North Atlantic Treaty was signed. According to this treaty’s constitution, member states are accorded mutual defense in case of an attack of a member state by a state that isn’t a party to the treaty. NATO’s headquarters are in Brussels. It has 28 states from North America and Europe as its members. There are dialogue programs that involve other 15 states and 22 member countries (Renee).
This organization has played as relevant role of ensuring international peace in different parts all over the world. An example of an instance when the efforts of this organization were seen was when it intervened during the Herzegovina and Bosnia conflict. After the Yugoslavia’s breakup, a war emerged and this compelled the UN Security Council to order a no-fly area over central Bosnia and Yugoslavia. NATO played a crucial role of influencing the enforcement of this zone.
The forces of NATO shot down the Bosnia Serbs’ aircraft that went against this order. NATO has also intervened in other places such as during the Afghanistan and Kosovo wars. Over the recent past, NATO has engaged in a training mission in Iraq, the Gulf of Aden’s war against pirates and in Libyan uprising. Nevertheless, NATO has been criticized on the basis of allegations that the US influences its decisions. Concerns over the use of NATO by the US to enhance its interests on global forums have been raised by many leaders worldwide. Even with these concerns, the organization’s peace efforts have been endorsed by many leaders globally (Solana 54).
Globally, NATO is among the leading global peace organizations. It should be noted that despite the primary role of NATO being ensuring peace of its member states, the organization’s mandate has been extended to include protecting people in various parts of the world who are exposed to the risk of different conflicts in various countries. An example of this is the intervention of this organization in Libya.
The organization enforced the no-fly zone established by the UN Security Council. As such, the relevance of NATO in the promotion of global peace is increasing during the 21st Century. Perhaps, this is due to the requests made by the UN Security Council requiring NATO to intervene where there are conflicts. In different states, NATO has played a vital role of ensuring political stability. This has been seen in North Africa and Middle East regions.
Terrorism is among the major threats to global peace. Several global peace organizations are now in the fight against terrorism in varying fronts worldwide. NATO in conjunction with other organizations has highlighted Al Qaeda which operates from Afghanistan as one of the major terrorist organizations. NATO is playing a crucial role of ensuring that legit forces in Afghanistan are trained so that they can fight hostile groups such as Al Qaeda. This is very important in containing terrorism as a threat to global peace.
It ought to be noted that NATO has also fought other terrorists’ groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan. For instance, NATO has been fighting the Taliban which has been interfering with global peace across the Arab countries. Through partnerships and collaborations, NATO has played a great role of training forces of the governments in fighting insurgents. Nevertheless, radicals have criticized NATO by claiming that the US has been using it to ensure that it places governments that it can influence in different countries so that it can accomplish its diplomacy agendas globally.
It is also worth noting that NATO has played a vital role of protecting legit governments from unnecessary or unconstructive coups. An example of this is the request that was made to the French forces to protect Mali government that was elected constitutionally and the Islamist militants wanted to overthrow its leadership. Although French forces acted on their own, they had the approval of the other members of NATO. The United States also gave the forces considerable support. Kenya Defense Forces also got technical and logistical support from the United States in their fight against Al Shabaab in Somalia.
The member countries of NATO have also offered intelligence sources that have been used by other states in averting imminent attacks. Nevertheless, NATO has been criticized on the basis of its primary concern which has been perceived as neutralizing the Islamist militants. The perception that has emerged is that NATO is against the Muslims. Nevertheless, NATO has also intervened in Islam countries where it has promoted stability and peace as well. This is among the rationales of the NATO members when they sought to intervene during the conflict in Syria that affected the citizens of this country. This justifies the argument that NATO remains a relevant and formidable force of the 21st century.
Other International Organizations
Several other global peace organizations exist as well. They include the Africa Great Lakes Initiative which promotes, strengthens and supports African peace efforts. Another international initiative is Amnesty International whose aim is to promote and enforce human rights across the world. A noteworthy initiative of Amnesty International is its collaboration with other organizations in the Control Arms Campaign. IANSA and Oxfam run this campaign. The major objective of the campaign is to reduce or end arms trade across the world.
Other organizations whose aim is to promote global peace by enhancing various aspects of the lives of the people also exist. For instance, some organizations aim at offering medical, financial and material support to people in places of conflict. The Red Cross is an example of such organization that has been prominent in assisting people in places of armed conflict. Red Cross has also been vital in calling people to resolve conflicts peacefully. Alternative to Violence International is an organization that has played a role in calling people and groups to resolve conflict without going into war. AVP provides training programs with an aim of enabling participants to develop new and creative means of handling situations that are likely to turn violent (Michael 216).
Other global peace organizations that are worth noting include the Human Rights Watch which aims at protecting and defending human rights across the globe. Another organization is Halo Trust whose aim is to eradicate land mines and war debris across the world. Others include Seeds of Peace, Mercy Corps, as well as Peace and Collaborative Development Networks. All of them have played critical roles of protecting people and their societies from violence and atrocities that are caused by armed conflicts.
Work Cited
Alex J. Bellamy, “The Responsibility to Protect and the Problem of Military Intervention,” Chap 8 in Politics of Global Governance.
Hyde-Price, Adrian. “European Security, Strategic Culture, and the Use of Force.” European Security, 13.4, 2004.
Michael Cox, “Beyond the West: Terrors in Transatlantia,” European Journal of International Relations, 2004.
Renee de Nevers, “NATO’s International Security Role in the Terrorist Era,” Chap 9 in Politics of Global Governance.
Solana, Javier. “A Secure Europe in a Better World — the European Security Strategy.” Civilian Perspective or Security Strategy? 2004.