2012 NATO Summit in Chicago facts for kids
The 2012 Chicago Summit was an important meeting where leaders from countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization came together. It happened in Chicago, Illinois, at a place called McCormick Place, on May 20 and 21, 2012.
This was a special event because it was the first time a NATO summit was held in the United States outside of Washington, D.C..
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Why Chicago Hosted the Summit
Chicago was chosen to host the summit because it is the hometown of the U.S. President at the time, Barack Obama.
The summit was originally planned to happen right after the 2012 G8 summit, which was also supposed to be in Chicago. However, the G8 summit ended up being held at Camp David instead.
Key Topics Discussed
During the summit, the leaders talked about several important global issues. These included:
- The Arab Spring: This referred to big changes happening in some countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
- The situation in Libya: They discussed the events of the 2011 Libyan civil war.
- The global financial crisis: Leaders talked about the worldwide money problems that were affecting many countries.
- NATO forces in Afghanistan: They discussed how NATO troops would slowly leave Afghanistan and hand over control.
- A missile shield system for Europe: This was about creating a defense system to protect European countries from missile attacks.
Summit Costs and Security
Hosting the summit was a big event for Chicago. It cost the city almost $15.6 million.
Leaders from at least 38 countries around the world attended the meeting. After the summit, Chicago's security systems were made even better.
Images for kids
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British Foreign Secretary William Hague at the NATO Chicago Summit, May 2012
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NATO leaders
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NATO command in Kabul
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See also
In Spanish: Cumbre de Chicago de 2012 para niños
