Joining NATO was a change in freedom, worry from oppression and growth.
One of the highlights (click here) of the Washington Summit will be the presence, for the first time, of the Heads of State and Government of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. These three countries formally joined the Alliance on 12 March 1999, bringing the number of member countries to 19. The entry of these three democracies into the Alliance, under Article 10 of the Washington Treaty, is part of a continuing process. The door to NATO membership remains open to other European countries which are ready and willing to undertake the commitments and obligations stemming from NATO membership and contribute to security in the Euro-Atlantic area. The admission of new democratic members into NATO is itself part of a wider process of greater integration in Europe involving other European institutions....There is no doubt to me when the USA finds allies, the people do better under a reassurance of their own sovereignty and safety. When examing the day Hungary joined NATO, it is easily noted how the country changed. One of the most important measures of domestic peace and hope for the future is the increased longevity of the people. That does not happen by accident. The loss of NATO would be far more than the loss of a military reassurance to freedom, life itself would change.
