Abstract
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty (NAT) is the cornerstone of the world's largest military alliance. Its wording reflects a carefully balanced compromise: while it affirms that an armed attack against one ally shall be considered an attack against all, each member state has significant discretion in determining whether the requisite casus foederis has arisen, and in deciding what form its assistance should take.For Poland, since NATO accession in 1999, Article 5 has not only been the benefit of membership in the Alliance but also a shared responsibility. Against this background, the aim of the article is to analyze the guarantees under Article 5 of the NAT from the perspective of U.S.-Polish relations, taking into account the practice of both States. The paper argues that Poland's accession to NATO, as well as further bilateral agreements with the United States, enhances Poland's confidence in allied support and reaffirms the United States’ strategic commitment to NATO’s Eastern flank. To advance this thesis, the paper is divided into three parts: the first briefly examines Article 5 of the NAT, particularly the meaning of “assistance” for the Ally under an armed attack. The second part places those remarks in the context of how the security guarantees under Article 5 have been understood in U.S.-Polish relations so far. The third section focuses on five instruments adopted by Poland and the United States in order to examine how they have affected not only bilateral relations between the two States but also the approach to collective defense under Article 5.
Recommended Citation
Agata Kleczkowska,
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and U.S.-Polish Relations,
50
S. Ill. U. L.J.
507
(2026).
Available at:
https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/siulj/vol50/iss3/4