On this day: A western alliance

As relations between east and west cooled, the United Nations, established just a few years earlier to strengthen international relations, was not enough for those worried about global security.

In the West, 12 nations fearful of the spread of communism grouped together to form the North Atlantic Alliance. As its first general secretary, Lord Ismay, joked, the aim was "to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down". In 1955 the Soviets launched their Eastern alternative, The Warsaw Pact.

Created as a collective defence organisation, with member states mutually committed to defending another if they came under attack, NATO's focus shifted to peacekeeping after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

It now has 28 member states including Albania, Greece and Iceland and has dispatched troops to conflicts in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Libya. Turkey is a member but Israel is no, a situation many, including the World Jewish Congress in February, have said needs to change to ensure a secure future.