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 bec...

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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.