The end of Germany’s division gave Europe an impetus to overcome the larger division between East and West. This map shows the expansion of NATO, formerly a Western defense system, into Central and Eastern Europe. This map reflects the waves and incremental steps of expansion after the end of the Cold War. In 1999 and 2004, Germany’s immediate eastern neighbors, Poland and the Czech Republic, joined NATO, along with eight neighboring lands to the north- and southeast. Croatia, Albania, Montenegro, as well as North Macedonia joined in 2009, 2017, and 2020 respectively.  Finland joined in 2023 following Russia’s February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Sweden joined in 2024, after the completion of this map. In the process, Germany’s Cold War role as frontier zone between East and West changed decisively. Today, Germany’s new mission is to serve as a link between East and West.