Review: On the Need for Burden Sharing in Nato

The authors begin the first chapter by highlighting the importance of Article 3 of the 1949 Washington (North Atlantic) Treaty: "In order more effectively to achieve the objectives of this Treaty, the Parties, separately and jointly, by means of continuous and effective self-help and mutual aid, will maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack."It is the different interpretations of the phrases "continuous and effective self-help" and "mutual aid" which create problems in understanding the burden-sharing needs within the North Atlantic Alliance (p 2).