The United States and its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are investigating the explosion that killed two people in Przewodow, Poland, a village in the east of the country near the border with Ukraine.
Polish officials said a “Russian-made missile” killed people on Tuesday in a village 6 kilometers (4 miles) from the border with Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry has denied that any Russian missiles have hit Polish territory, describing the reports as “deliberate provocations aimed at escalating the situation”.
If it is confirmed that the missile was fired by Russia, it would be the first time since the invasion of Ukraine in February that one of Moscow’s missiles has hit and destroyed a NATO country.
The Russian missile launch raises serious concerns because the basis of the 30-member NATO alliance is the principle that an attack on one member is an attack on all.
Although Poland’s foreign ministry acknowledged that the missile was made in Russia, Polish President Andrzej Duda has been tight-lipped about its origin, saying authorities do not know exactly who fired it or where it was fired.
The US President, Joe Biden, said that the missile – based on the strategy – could not be fired by Russia, adding that, “but we will see”.
As a member of NATO, Poland has said it is determining whether it needs to request negotiations under Article 4 of the agreement.
Experts note that Article 4 should be invoked before the process begins, which could lead to the invocation of Article 5 – which confirms NATO’s principles of collective security.
So, what is Article 4 of NATO and Article 5 and how does it work?
What is Article 4?
Article 4 can be invoked if any NATO member is threatened.
Initiating Chapter 4 is a process that leads to negotiations between member states (or nations) and NATO’s decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, or NAC, said John R. Deni, a research professor at the US Army War College and lecturer at American University. .
NAC meetings are not unusual and are held regularly to discuss day-to-day issues related to the agreement, Deni told The Conversation.
However, when Article 4 is initiated by a member of the alliance, the NAC prioritizes negotiations with the country concerned and their issue will be addressed immediately.
Invoking Article 4 is a step towards a NATO response if the NAC negotiations find that there are reasons to move forward based on the country’s experience.
Introduction Article 4
Article 4 can be triggered if a member or members believe that their “integrity, political freedom or security” is threatened.
“Each member state can invoke Chapter 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty. Once it is invoked, the matter is discussed and may lead to a different decision or action on behalf of the Alliance,” said NATO.
The organization said: “Regardless of the situation, the brothers and sisters who are close to the Council are encouraged to do something about the problem that the country in the organization has brought to them.
Article 4 was invoked seven times during the life of NATO, which was founded in 1949.
Most recently, Article 4 was invoked in March by eight NATO countries – Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Turkey used Phase 4 in 2015 and twice in 2012, the first time in June of that year when one of its fighter jets was shot down by Syrian air defenses. In October 2012, it invoked Article 4 when three Turkish citizens were killed by Syrian shelling amid the ongoing civil war in the neighboring country.
Turkey requested in Article 4 negotiations that NATO send Patriot weapons as defense, which the organization agreed to protect the Turkish people and territories.
According to Deni, the negotiation of Section 4 and the decisions that may come out are “more – not as heavy as calling for Article 5”.
Section 4 is the preparatory phase before section 5, which is the commitment of the collective security agreement.
NATO’s ‘Cornerstone’ Article 5
Described as the “cornerstone” of the military alliance, NATO’s defense principle – contained in Article 5 – was designed to create a mutual defense alliance to counter the threats posed by the Soviet Union, especially in Eastern Europe, after the Second World War and the emergence of the Cold War.
Commitment to Article 5 means that each member of NATO knows that if one of the alliance is “the victim of an armed attack, any other member of the Alliance will consider this violence as an attack on all members”, NATO says. .
This means that each NATO member is responsible for “doing what it deems necessary to support an Ally attacked”.
When Article 5 is invoked, NATO allies have the right to provide any kind of aid and assistance deemed “necessary to deal with the crisis”.
Determining what is necessary to respond to certain situations is the responsibility of each member of NATO, and may not use military force.
As NATO puts it: “It is therefore left to the discretion of each member state to decide how to contribute.”
Each country consults with all other members of the alliance in response and with the main goal of “restoring and maintaining the security” of the members of the alliance.
First use of Article 5
Article 5 was first invoked after the attack on the US on September 11, 2001 by al-Qaeda.
The launch of Article 5 saw “NATO working hard in the fight against terrorism, launching its first operations outside the Euro-Atlantic area and beginning a major transformation of its forces”, according to the agreement.
“By citing Section 5, NATO members expressed their solidarity with the United States and strongly condemned the terrorist attacks committed against the United States.”
Could a missile strike in Poland trigger Article 5?
Mr. Deni from American University said it is difficult to assess at this time whether the missile strike could trigger Article 5 because the details of what happened in the Polish village are not yet known, and “there are many variables”.
Was the missile launch accidental or deliberate? Was Russia really guilty?
“It makes a big difference whether this was an attack on the Polish military or a civilian area, or if it was a stray bullet,” Deni told The Conversation.
“There is also the possibility that this was debris from the strike in Ukraine,” he said.
“The death of innocent people is tragic in any case, but I think that the number of people who died as a result of this strike will also be the reason for Poland to ask for Article 5,” he said.
