Why were there 12 founding NATO members?
What is Article 5, and why was it only invoked once in all of NATO’s history?
Why wasn’t NATO dissolved like the Warsaw Pact after the Cold War ended?
The NATO Through Time podcast features diverse voices from NATO member countries – including former Presidents, Prime Ministers, Foreign and Defence Ministers, military officers, NATO officials, historians, journalists and young citizens – answering these questions and reflecting on NATO’s past, present and future.
NATO researcher and futurist Dr Florence Gaub shares her insights on predicting future events and shaping NATO's future, highlighting the importance of strategic foresight in anticipating and preparing for emerging challenges.
6 Dec 2024
NATO's newest members with former President of Finland Sauli Niinistö
Former President of Finland Sauli Niinistö shares Finland's experience with military non-alignment and its implications for NATO membership and global security.
8 Nov 2024
NATO's missions with General Jennie Carignan
Why does NATO conduct missions outside of its territory? What were the different aims and lessons learned of NATO’s missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan and Iraq? What is Canada’s role in a transatlantic alliance that is often framed as a balancing act between the United States and European Allies? In this episode, General Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces, walks us through her distinguished military career. She served on a demi...
15 Oct 2024
NATO’s open door (2009) with former President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović
What was it like learning about NATO while growing up in the former Yugoslavia? Why did NATO launch “out-of-area” operations in the Western Balkans following the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s? What was the road to NATO membership like for Albania and Croatia, and how did these countries help pave the way for other countries in the region to join the Alliance? In this episode, former President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović reflects on her country’s journey to independ...
11 Sept 2024
9/11 and Article 5 with former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson
How is Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty triggered, and what happens once it’s activated? How did the 9/11 terrorist attacks impact both the United States and its NATO Allies, and why did NATO respond the way it did? What was the significance of NATO’s operations in Afghanistan and how did they change the Alliance? In this episode, former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson of Port Ellen shares his memories of 11 September 2001, and the historic months and years that fol...
23 Aug 2024
NATO’s open door (2004) with former President of Latvia Dr Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
Why did the Baltic States and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe choose to join NATO after the end of the Cold War?Why was the 2004 enlargement of NATO known as the “Big Bang” enlargement?How do NATO’s smaller member countries contribute to the Alliance? In this episode, former President of Latvia Dr Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga shares her extraordinary life story – from fleeing Latvia as a child at the end of the Second World War, to building a life in Canada for 50 years, to becomin...
9 Aug 2024
NATO's open door (1999) with the former Hungarian Foreign Minister and former Czech Ambassador
Why did NATO open its door to former Warsaw Pact adversaries after the end of the Cold War?
What was the process for Czechia, Hungary and Poland to join the Alliance?
How has NATO changed in the 25 years since this historic enlargement?
In this episode, former Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi and former Czech Ambassador to NATO Karel Kovanda share their perspectives on this transformative era in NATO history. They reflect on their youths, growing up under communism in Warsaw Pact countries, witnessing the end of the Cold War in 1989, and helping to lead their countries into NATO in 1999. They also discuss how their countries have contributed to the Alliance over the past 25 years, and where NATO is heading in the future.
5 Jul 2024
A transatlantic alliance with former Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller
Why is NATO important for the United States?
Are we in a more dangerous nuclear situation than we were during the Cold War?
What is the credible path back to peace in Europe?
What was the significance of serving as the first woman and only second American Deputy Secretary General of NATO?
In this episode, Rose Gottemoeller reflects on her time as NATO Deputy Secretary General during a pivotal time for the Alliance. She discusses her previous experience working on arms control policy in the US State Department, shares her opinions about Russia’s nuclear sabre-rattling and her thoughts about the role of the United States in NATO and the strength of the transatlantic bond between Europe and North America.
5 Jun 2024
A political-military alliance with Lt Gen Hans-Werner Wiermann
How do the political and military sides of NATO work together?
What lessons are NATO militaries learning from Russia’s war against Ukraine?
How does an alliance of 32 countries combine their armed forces into one integrated military force – and how would this change in the event of war?
In this episode, Lieutenant General Hans-Werner Wiermann, who served as Director General of NATO's International Military Staff from 2019 until 2022, explains how NATO’s command structure unites diverse militaries under one banner. He clarifies how NATO military leaders give advice to – and receive guidance from – NATO political leaders, ensuring democratic civilian oversight of Allied armed forces.
He also speaks about his experience serving in the Bundeswehr (the German Armed Forces), before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany. And he reflects on the future of the Alliance, including the development of new military capabilities based on lessons learned in Ukraine and the importance of critical undersea infrastructure.
1 May 2024
Who leads NATO? with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
What are the main responsibilities of the NATO Secretary General?
How and why did Jens Stoltenberg become the head of the Organization?
How has NATO changed over the past decade, and what does its future look like?
In this episode, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reflects on his time at NATO over the past 10 years. He shares the personal motivations that led him to accept the job after serving as Prime Minister of Norway, and how his parents' values and his own political activity as a young man shaped his views of NATO.
He also gives a preview of the main topics that will be on the agenda at the 2024 NATO Summit, taking place in Washington, D.C. in July.
29 Mar 2024
NATO's 75th anniversary year
Welcome to the NATO Through Time podcast!
This podcast dives deep into NATO’s history, reflecting on how the past influences the present – and future – of the longest-lasting alliance in history.
Our first episode introduces the podcast’s co-hosts: former NATO Spokesperson Jamie Shea, along with young content creators Ben Wheeler, Maciej Musiał and Paulius Mikolaitis, who are helping tell NATO’s story to the next generation.
Join them in this initial episode on a 15-minute whirlwind tour of NATO’s 75-year history – from the creation of the Alliance in 1949, to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, to NATO’s first out-of-area operations and the first wave of post-Cold War enlargement in the 1990s. The following episodes will cover all of these topics, and many more, in greater depth.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
4.0 / 5
4 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
11 ratings
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