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Q21 (IAS/2025) International Relations & Global Affairs › International Organisations & Groupings › Security and defence alliances Answer Verified

Consider the following countries : I. Austria II. Bulgaria III. Croatia IV. Serbia V. Sweden VI. North Macedonia How many of the above are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance between 32 member states—30 in Europe and 2 in North America.[1] Among the listed countries, five are NATO members: Bulgaria, Croatia, Sweden, North Macedonia, and one other from the list.

Based on the documents and established NATO membership records, Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004, Croatia in 2009, North Macedonia achieved recent membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization[2], and Sweden became NATO's newest member in 2024. Austria maintains a policy of military neutrality and is not a NATO member. Serbia also remains outside NATO and has maintained a policy of military neutrality.

Sources

  1. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO
  2. [2] https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/345932/WHO-EURO-2021-3435-43194-60508-eng.pdf?sequence=1
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Q. Consider the following countries : I. Austria II. Bulgaria III. Croatia IV. Serbia V. Sweden VI. North Macedonia How many of the a…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 1.7/10
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This is a classic 'Current Affairs masquerading as Static' question. The trigger is Sweden's historic 2024 entry into NATO. The trap lies in assuming all Western European EU nations (like Austria) are in NATO, or that all Balkan nations (like Serbia) have joined. You don't need a list of 32 members; you need to know the 'Outliers' and the 'New Entrants'.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Is Austria a member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Contemporary Centres of Power > TIMELINE OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION > p. 18
Strength: 5/5
“1990 October: Unification of Germany. 1992 February 7: The Treaty of Maastricht was signed establishing the European Union (EU). 1993 January: European Economic Community (EEC) was renamed the European Community (EC). 1995 January: Austria, Finland and Sweden join the EU. 2002 January: Euro, the new currency, was introduced in the 12 EU members. 2004 May: Ten new members, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia join the EU. 2007 January: Bulgaria and Romania join the EU. Slovenia adopts the Euro. 2009 December: The Lisbon Treaty came into force. 2012 : The EU is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”
Why relevant

Lists countries that joined the EU in 1995 — Austria is explicitly named as an EU member that year.

How to extend

A student can use this to note that Austria is an EU member (1995) and then check external lists to see whether EU membership coincides with NATO membership for those countries.

Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 1: The End of Bipolarity > Consequences of Disintegration > p. 7
Strength: 4/5
“Politically, the notion of liberal democracy emerged as the best way to organise political life. Third, the end of the Soviet bloc meant the emergence of many new countries. All these countries had their own independent aspirations and choices. Some of them, especially the Baltic and east European states, wanted to join the European Union and become part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The Central Asian countries wanted to take advantage of their geographical location and continue their close ties with Russia and also to establish ties with the West, the US, China and others. Thus, the international system saw many new players emerge, each with its own identity, interests, and economic and political difficulties.”
Why relevant

Explains that after the Soviet bloc ended, some new states (Baltic and east European) sought NATO membership.

How to extend

A student could use this pattern to distinguish which post‑Cold War European states sought NATO membership and then see whether Austria was among those actively seeking NATO entry.

History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 15: The World after World War II > North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) > p. 247
Strength: 3/5
“North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Despite the friendship of the United States, Western European countries felt insecure. Communist victory in Czechoslovakia added to their fears.”
Why relevant

Describes the origin/purpose of NATO as a Western collective defence formed from insecurity about communism.

How to extend

A student can use the stated purpose to infer which European states aligned with Western defence structures and then check whether Austria — given its political stance — fits that pattern.

History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 15: The World after World War II > Warsaw Treaty Organisation > p. 248
Strength: 3/5
“When West Germany became a member of NATO, USSR saw it as a direct threat and decided to make a counter arrangement. In May 1955, a "treaty of mutual friendship, co-operation and mutual assistance" was signed by Soviet Union and seven of its European allies. It was named As the Warsaw Pact, as the treaty was signed in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. The members were Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria. The treaty called upon member states to come to the defence of any member if it was attacked by an outside force. A unified military command under Marshall Ivan S.”
Why relevant

Shows the existence of a Cold War military bloc (Warsaw Pact) formed in response to NATO membership expansion (example: West Germany joining NATO).

How to extend

A student could extend this rule that NATO membership was a politically consequential choice for European states and therefore verify whether Austria made such a choice historically.

History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 13: Imperialism and its Onslaught > e) Provisions of the Versailles Treaty > p. 205
Strength: 2/5
“In Eastern Europe, the provinces of Russia ceded to Germany according to the treaty of Brest-Litovsk were made into the independent republics of Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Germany was disarmed and was forced to give up practically all of its submarines and battleships. Germany was forbidden to have any airplanes, either military or naval, and its army was to be limited to 100,000 officers and men. The union of Austria and Germany was forbidden, and Germany was to acknowledge and respect the Independence of Austria. Germany and its allies were held responsible for the loss and damage suffered during the war.”
Why relevant

Notes historical treaty provisions about Austria's independence (Treaty of Versailles/Treaty of St. Germain) emphasizing Austria as a distinct state.

How to extend

A student can combine Austria's long‑recognized independent status with later Cold War patterns to check whether Austria joined Western defence pacts like NATO.

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

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Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

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Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

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Statement analysis

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