Why we need NATO - in a single bullet

Thomas Levenson, The Boston Globe (USA)
An alliance, like any collaboration, doesn't work simply because its members agree on a course of action. It requires much more: Standardization of equipment served as a force multiplier for Western armies against the Soviet Union. But when humans succeed in striving toward a common goal, much more than mere common gear is involved: practices, processes, and a shared vision of risk and reward. This cohesion creates powerful intellectual bonds and, over time, lead to the accumulation of knowledge.