Problem:
A collective security agreement can be described as a system in which each state accepts that the security of one is the concern of all and agrees to join in a collective response to threats to, and breaches of the peace (Lowe and others, 2008). From our readings this week, a collective security agreement would be referred to as the "Three Musketeers" argument and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would be an example of this (Apus, 2025). One advantage of a collective security agreement would be deterrence. Several smaller and weaker states in Europe have joined NATO to increase their collective security.
States that have joined NATO have the advantage of a hegemonic state on their side, the United States (US). Post Cold War, the US had feared that if deterrence was not properly adhered to then NATO would be useless against aggressors like the Soviet Union (Morgan, 2003). A high level of transparency became a requirement for Western governments. To maintain successful security cooperation in NATO the US needed transparency in cooperation regarding military operations, strategies, and each state's intentions. Transparency gives states credibility and makes it possible to contain states' fears that their cooperation will be exploited and that they will learn about instances of this too late to protect themselves from it (Morgan, 2003).
Although there has not been a state that has defected from NATO, there have been moments throughout history where countries have temporarily disengaged and this raises concerns. Turkey has been known to cause conflict to its relationship to NATO. Their purchase of the Russian S-400 Air defense system sparked questions of their alignment. The US was concerned that the S-400 posed a major security risk, possibly allowing data collected by the US's F-35 stealth fighter to end up being shared with Russia (Bensaid, 2020). This weakens NATO's readiness and erodes the strategy of teamwork and deterrence. Send Peers Response To This Discussion With Citation. Need Assignment Help?