He who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who was living in it.

And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it.

And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

NATO members themselves also have much more flexibility to draw on NATO s collective assets.

He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it.

Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

Indeed, more than half of all NATO nations have had forces in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

NATO is supposed to be a beacon for countries struggling to establish democracy and freedom.

Each of the 26 NATO allies has troops in Afghanistan, as do 11 other countries.

There is a strong argument, too, for NATO to recognize that one of its members, France, has been attacked, thereby activating Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which ensures mutual defense. The entire Alliance should commit itself to the defeat of terrorism.

'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated?'

And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

The enlargement of NATO and the EU has embraced a dozen or so states in Central and Eastern Europe and in the western Balkans.

Last week, the heads of state and government of NATO's 26 member nations gathered in Istanbul for a major summit. The symbolism of a city that bridges two continents was especially appropriate.

Welcoming in this context the commitment by NATO lead nations to establish further Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs),

Something essential, however, is missing NATO's spirit. Many, if not most, of the members no longer recognize NATO as central to their national interest.

The country has had a limited military partnership with Russian Federation, other CIS countries and a partnership with NATO since 1994.

Globalizing NATO

The Death of NATO

The Necessity of NATO

But the longer term subject will be getting as many countries as possible into the global NATO security network.

The immediate topic on the agenda in Chicago next week will be getting NATO forces out of Afghanistan. But the longer term subject will be getting as many countries as possible into the global NATO security network.

The Polish freedom movement of 1968 lost its confrontation with police violence the Prague Spring was crushed by the armies of five Warsaw Pact members.

NATO after Riga

NATO s Dangerous Signals

the oath which he spoke to Abraham, our father,

The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.'

Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

In fact, no NATO ally would attack Russia, as such a move would defy a key tenet of international law respect for other countries sovereignty.

Several countries, including NATO allies, have imposed national caveats that limit where their troops can be deployed or the tasks they undertake.

NATO faced off against the Warsaw Pact, created by the Soviet Union and its allies in 1955.

NATO s presidents and prime ministers could simply cross the Baltic Sea from Riga for a half day Afghanistan summit with the EU in Helsinki.

NATO After Istanbul

NATO Must Be Saved

NATO s Dangerous Afghan Dream

Iraq's activity in the Baghdad Pact ceased.

how he swore to Yahweh, and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob

How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob

At a time when Russia was taking a more pacific course, NATO unlike the Warsaw Pact was not dismantled.

The bombing of Serbia by NATO in 1999 heavily damaged its economy, with serious consequences for neighboring countries.

Political status The European Union, Council of Europe, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and most UN member countries do not recognize South Ossetia as an independent state.

In other words, the US can increase its own power both by connecting to other NATO members (and then ensuring that NATO is connected to as many other countries and organizations as possible) and by increasing the connectedness of those other countries and organizations.

NATO expansion is off the table.