Established in 1955 as a result of the Soviet effort to prevent West German rearmament through the Western European Union and to some extent as a counter to NATO’S decision to develop tactical nuclear weapons, the Warsaw Treaty Organization, more commonly known as the Warsaw Pact, stands as a multilateral political-military organization and the only example of such a regional defense alliance within the Eastern bloc. It was heralded by Moscow as the “main center” for coordinating the foreign policy of Communist states in Europe.