Greek perceptions of NATO during the Cold War

摘要

Greek accession to NATO in February 1952 was hailed as a great accomplishment, since NATO membership offered a shield against Soviet bloc aggression, generated hopes for additional military and financial aid and tied Greece to the west, thus providing for a new long-term orientation of the country. However, soon problems emerged: the Greeks began to doubt NATO military credibility in the Balkans, and were frustrated by the alliance’s neutrality in the infra-NATO Greek-Turkish dispute. A major break in the Greek-NATO relationship involved the Greek shock at the alliance’s inactivity during the Turkish invasions of Cyprus in summer 1974. However, despite problems, NATO membership continued to be a major manifestation of Greece’s Western identity, and a pivotal aspect of contemporary Greek foreign policy.View full textDownload full textKeywordsNATO, Greece, USA, Cold WarRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14683857.2012.741848