The Security of the South Atlantic: Is It a Case for 'SATO'--South Atlantic Treaty Organization

The growing dependence of the industrialized nations on the South Atlantic area, whose value was sufficiently proved during both world wars, increased considerably the importance of this strategic region to the security of the West, since through its sea-lanes flows a large amount of the raw materia...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lessa, Luiz S.
Other Authors: ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1982
Subjects:
Government and Political Science
*SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN
FOREIGN POLICY
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
NATIONAL SECURITY
NATURAL RESOURCES
POLITICAL ALLIANCES
THESES
NAVAL OPERATIONS
TREATIES
NATIONAL DEFENSE
BALANCE OF POWER
STRATEGIC MATERIALS
STRATEGIC AREAS
EAST WEST RELATIONS
*SATO(SOUTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION)
*SOUTH ATLANTIC AREA
Lanes
South Atlantic Ocean
Online Access:http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADB067944
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADB067944
Description
Summary:The growing dependence of the industrialized nations on the South Atlantic area, whose value was sufficiently proved during both world wars, increased considerably the importance of this strategic region to the security of the West, since through its sea-lanes flows a large amount of the raw materials desperately needed by the US, Europe and Japan to feed their industries. The South Atlantic has become an area of intense East-West confrontation and in recent years it has witnessed a large Soviet influence particularly on the west coast of Africa, giving the USSR the capability to disrupt the vital shipping lanes in the area. This thesis attempts to analyse the strategic importance of the South Atlantic area to the western world and to ascertain whether the countries located within the boundaries of that area are prone to build a new alliance to cope with the Soviet influence. Analysis reveals that the South Atlantic countries do not possess either the military power or the political will to create a valid and efficient security pact, due to the lack of a clear-cut consensus on the importance of a potential SATO to protect West interests in the region. Analysis also points out the existence of some valid alternatives that if carefully implemented would considerably upgrade the security of the South Atlantic area, without creating insurmountable political obstacles. However, a more comprehensive approach toward the creation of a formal security alliance is still not ripe, and for the time being the South Atlantic Treaty Organization will remain a challenge to be met by both South American and African countries. (Author)

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