VOA慢速英语 NATO at 60: A War in Afghanistan, and a Purpose to Redefine

　　The collapse of the Soviet Union and the breakup of Yugoslavia in the nineteen nineties challenged NATO's traditional position as a defensive alliance. Ten years ago at this time, NATO was bombing Serbia to end its violent campaign against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

　　NATO first brought together the countries of Western Europe with Canada and the United States. Today it includes former enemies of NATO that were members of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. NATO's expansion to the east, toward the borders of Russia, has raised Russian concerns.

　　This week, Albania and Croatia officially joined NATO -- bringing the alliance to twenty-eight nations. And French President Nicholas Sarkozy has decided to return France to NATO's military command for the first time in more than forty years.

　　Looking to the future, spokesman James Appathurai says there are questions that NATO must answer.

　　JAMES APPATHURAI: "What do we need to do: Should we do more to fight cyber attacks? Should we do more to engage in energy security? How far should NATO's reach be for operations? Who should our partners be and how should we engage them?"

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