What is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO What role is played by its members and partners Does the largest military alliance ever to exist serve the cause of peace or the causes of weapons sales and war mongering Published to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the alliance this sharp concise account examines NATOs origins structure and its goals at a time of mounting global tension.NATO has remade itself repeatedly as its past purposes have disappeared. In the last 35 years it has been part of wars in Bosnia Kosovo Afghanistan Iraq and Libya. It has played a major role in Ukraine and supported warmaking by Israel. NATO is now expanding rapidly both in geography and in scope adding partners from Colombia to Mongolia to Australia and claiming a role in policing immigration economics public budgeting scientific research and environmental protection.With pointed investigations of how NATOs decisions are made the widely misunderstood question of the way it is funded its relationship to international law and the available alternatives to it NATO What You Need to Know is an indispensable primer on an organization that not only confronts expanding military conflict but the authors contend plays an active part in its escalation.