Regional and Global Security Alliances

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established in 1949 as a collective defense alliance among North American and European countries.

The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance between the Soviet Union and its satellite states in Eastern Europe, formed in response to the establishment of NATO.

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was formed in 1954 to protect Southeast Asia from communist expansion, particularly from China and North Vietnam.

The ANZUS Treaty was signed in 1951 as a security alliance between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

The Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Pact) was signed in 1947 as a security alliance among countries in the Western Hemisphere.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was formed in 2001 as a regional security alliance between China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) was formed in 2002 as a security alliance among countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

ASEAN was established in 1967 as a regional organization to promote economic, political, and security cooperation among Southeast Asian countries.

The AU was formed in 1963 as the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and was later renamed the African Union in 2002.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was formed in 1981 as a security alliance among Arab countries in the Persian Gulf region.

The OIC was established in 1969 as a global organization to promote unity and cooperation among Muslim countries.

The Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) was formed in 1999 as a security alliance among countries in the Balkans region.

The CSTO was formed in 1992 as a security alliance among former Soviet republics, including Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) was formed in 2007 as a security alliance among countries in the Mediterranean region.

APEC was established in 1989 as a regional economic cooperation forum among Asia-Pacific countries.