United Nations (1945) One of the biggest alliances was the creation of the United Nations, an international organization created at the end of
World War II, to promote peace and curtail war. It was made to replace the
League of Nations. Former US President
Woodrow Wilson helped found the League after the
First World War, but it was never joined by the US. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed the idea of the UN to Soviet Premier
Joseph Stalin in November 1943. It was jointly discussed with and proposed by China, the USSR, the UK, and the US. The Declaration of the United Nations was crafted in 1942 at the
Arcadia Conference, but the organization was officially created with the signing of the UN Charter in 1945. Both of these events took place in US cities. which is why it was one of the founding members, and the first country to ratify the Charter. Through the creation of the UN Charter, six smaller organizations, called "
organs" were created to handle separate affairs: •
General Assembly •
Economic and Social Council •
Trusteeship council •
International Court of Justice •
Secretariat Rio Pact (1947) The idea to create this treaty, also known as the
Rio Treaty, had been discussed since the late 1930s when the leaders of the Americas met in several South American cities. However, the countries could not agree due to hesitance from the US and Uruguay. When Senator Vandenburg publicly espoused the idea in a 1947 speech, and the Senate accepted it, nations could sign the Treaty in
Rio de Janeiro. Initially, there were 20 members to the Rio Treaty: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela. In 1964, Cuba was suspended, due to its support of communism. The purpose of the treaty was that in the event of an attack on a member, the other would be obliged to come to their defense, on request. The Rio Pact influenced the creation of the Vandenburg Resolution, and then, the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Vandenburg Resolution (1948) Arthur H. Vandenburg was a
Republican Senator, a former candidate for presidential nominee, and an avid supporter of
multilateralism. The Vandenburg Resolution was created in 1948, after the Rio Treaty and Marshall Plan. These previous agreements, supported by the Vandenburg Resolution, gave the US the idea to create a similar collective defense agreement with Europe to prevent Soviet control. It pushed the country to create NATO and demonstrated the importance of international agreements to the country. Vandenburg's draft resolution was introduced to the Senate on June 11, 1948, where it was approved. At the time, the US and European nations were worried about the expansion of the Soviet Union. A collective defense agreement would protect nations from being defenseless in the face of a Soviet invasion. The initial idea for the organization was suggested in the Vandenburg Resolution. The US deemed the idea unnecessary until the three nations shared their concerns regarding the spread of communism. The idea for the alliance was proposed by the US toward Australia, and was extended to New Zealand. The alliance has never been formally concluded, but in 1984, when New Zealand banned
nuclear weapons, the US cut ties, treaty-wise, with New Zealand. Shortly after that, the US and Japan created a mutual security treaty.
US-Republic of the Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty (1951) This treaty was made to maintain peace in the Philippines and surrounding Pacific region. It is a bilateral defense agreement, denoting that if either of the nations were to be put in danger, the other would be allowed to use military force to come to their aid. The US and the Philippines have been allies and maintained the treaty since it was created. It is one of the longest-lasting mutual defense treaties in the world.
US-Republic of Korea Mutual Defense Treaty (1953) The US-Republic of Korea Mutual Defense Treaty is a bilateral defense agreement between the US and South Korea. Similar to ANZUS, if either of the members faced conflict, the other would defend them using peaceful methods, including defensive military approaches. The treaty was signed in 1953 following the
Korean War. The purpose is to offer South Korea protection from the two nations' common enemy, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
SEATO (1954) The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), also known as the Manila Pact, was a defense treaty made between several countries inside and outside of Southeast Asia. Its purpose was to protect against the spread of communism in Southeast Asia and to help improve conditions in the region.The original members included the US, France, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, and Thailand. There are also "observer" countries, who were still protected under the pact, but could not influence it in other ways. The organization was officially created in
Manila, Philippines in 1955, hence the name. Its headquarters were located in
Bangkok, Thailand. SEATO split in 1977. The US produced the idea for the pact, but remained an observer to it for the duration of the pact's existence. The title of the treaty has been changed from METO and was relocated and renamed the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) after tensions between the organization and
Arab states, particularly Iraq. After the overthrowing of the
Shah in the
Iranian Revolution, CENTO ended in 1979. ==See also==