CAPF AC 2022 Q122: Current Affairs – International Organisations & Groupings
- (a) Hungary
- (b) Poland
- (c) Belarus
- (d) Turkey
Answer: (c) Belarus
Explanation
Members of NATO
How to think: NATO is the Western military alliance led by the USA.
Belarus is Russia's closest ally and belongs to the rival CSTO.
So it cannot be in NATO.
| Country | NATO member? | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | Yes | 1952 |
| Poland | Yes | 1999 |
| Hungary | Yes | 1999 |
| Belarus | No | Member of the CSTO with Russia |
About NATO: founded in 1949 by the Washington Treaty; headquarters in Brussels.
Article 5 says an attack on one member is an attack on all.
Recent members: Finland (2023) and Sweden (2024), taking the total to 32.
Answer: (c) Belarus.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Hungary has been a NATO member since 1999.
- (b) Incorrect. Poland has been a NATO member since 1999.
- (c) CORRECT. Belarus is not in NATO; it is allied with Russia.
- (d) Incorrect. Turkey joined NATO in 1952.
Key point
NATO: 1949, Brussels, Article 5 collective defence, 32 members (Finland 2023, Sweden 2024). CSTO: Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan. Not in NATO: Ukraine, Belarus, Austria, Ireland, Switzerland.
Remember
Belarus: Russia's ally, CSTO, not NATO.
Common mistakes
- Thinking Turkey is outside NATO because it lies mostly in Asia.
- Assuming all former communist states stayed out; Poland and Hungary joined in 1999.
- Mixing up NATO membership with EU membership.
Exam tip
Educated guess: in 2022 Russian troops entered Ukraine from Belarus. A country that hosts Russian forces is not a member of the alliance opposing Russia.
Sources
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization — NATO member countries
- NCERT Class XII Political Science — Contemporary World Politics (The End of Bipolarity; alliances of the Cold War)