Central Treaty Organization
(CENTO)
Abbreviation CENTO
Formation 24 February 1955
Extinction 16 March 1979
Type Intergovernmental military alliance
Headquarters Ankara
Region served Western Asia and Europe
Membership 5 states
The Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), originally known as the Baghdad Pact or
the Middle East Treaty Organization (METO), was a military alliance of the Cold War.
It was formed in 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey and the United Kingdom and
dissolved in 1979.
US pressure and promises of military and economic aid were key in the negotiations
leading to the agreement, but the United States could not initially participate. John
Foster Dulles, who was involved in the negotiations as U.S. Secretary of State under
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, claimed that was due to "the pro-Israel lobby and the
difficulty of obtaining Congressional Approval."[1] Others said that the reason was "for
purely technical reasons of budgeting procedures."[2]
In 1958, the US joined the military committee of the alliance. It is generally viewed as
one of the least successful of the Cold War alliances.[3]
The organization's headquarters were in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1955 to 1958 and
in Ankara, Turkey, in 1958 to 1979. Cyprus was also an important location for CENTO
because of its location in the Middle East and the British Sovereign Base Areas on the
island.[4]
Modeled after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), CENTO committed the
nations to mutual cooperation and protection, as well as non-intervention in each other's
affairs. Its goal was to contain the Soviet Union (USSR) by having a line of strong states
along the USSR's southwestern frontier. Similarly, it was known as the 'Northern Tier' to
prevent Soviet expansion into the Middle East.[5] Unlike NATO, CENTO did not have a
unified military command structure, nor were many U.S. or UK military
bases established in member countries, although the U.S. had communications and
electronic intelligence facilities in Iran, and operated U-2 intelligence flights over
the USSR from bases in Pakistan. The United Kingdom had access to facilities in
Pakistan and Iraq at various times while the treaty was in effect.
History:
On July 14, 1958, the Iraqi monarchy was overthrown in a military coup. The new
government was led by General Abdul Karim Qasim who withdrew Iraq from the
Baghdad Pact, opened diplomatic relations with Soviet Union and adopted a non-
aligned stance. The organization dropped the name 'Baghdad Pact' in favor of 'CENTO'
at that time.
The Middle East and South Asia became extremely volatile areas during the 1960s with
the ongoing Arab–Israeli Conflict and the Indo-Pakistani Wars. CENTO was unwilling to
get deeply involved in either dispute. In 1965 and 1971, Pakistan tried unsuccessfully to
get assistance in its wars with India through CENTO, but this was rejected under the
idea that CENTO was aimed at containing the USSR, not India.
CENTO did little to prevent the expansion of Soviet influence to non-member states in
the area. Whatever containment value the pact might have had was lost when the
Soviets 'leap-frogged' the member states, establishing close military and political
relationships with governments in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, the People's Democratic Republic
of Yemen, Somalia, and Libya. By 1970, the USSR had deployed over 20,000 troops to
Egypt, and had established naval bases in Syria, Somalia, and P.D.R. Yemen.
The Iranian revolution spelled the end of the organization in 1979, but in reality, it
essentially had been finished since 1974, when Turkey invaded Cyprus. This led the
United Kingdom to withdraw forces that had been earmarked to the alliance,[citation
needed]
and the United States Congress halted Turkish military aid despite two
Presidential vetoes.[5] With the fall of the Iranian monarchy, whatever remaining
rationale for the organization was lost. Future U.S. and British defense agreements with
regional countries—such as Pakistan, Egypt, and the Persian Gulf states—were
conducted bilaterally.
With the withdrawal of Iran, the secretary-general of CENTO, Turkish diplomat Kamran
Gurun, announced on March 16, 1979, that he would call a meeting of the pact's council
in order to formally dissolve the organization.[6]
