People seem to assume that signing a PIAT is on par with pledging eternal fealty, the way it's talked about so frequently. Yes, we signed a Peace, Intelligence, and Aid Treaty. We've agreed not to attack each other again in the forseeable future, not to troll, and to sell technology at favorable prices in certain circumstances. These treaties are signed almost every day, and in fact, some go unannounced because they are considered so trivial. I fail to see how GATO and NPO signing such a treaty counts as having our freedom still impinged upon, or as us running back into the arms of our abusive oppressors. If you could explain why our PIAT is so different from every other PIAT, I would be grateful.
In my biased opinion, people are simply used to seeing GATO act one way, and that's the post-PWII through 1V War GATO. That GATO existed for a long time and particularly since we went completely off the map during the occupation, it's what is cemented in people's minds. They assumed that the GATO they supported in their signatures was still exactly the same. I'm proud to say that we aren't that GATO any longer, and instead of looking back upon our more recent history, I hope that we are reflecting our earliest history. In those times we were universally considered a respected alliance, not just because of our power in terms of nation strength, but in our measured words and honor. I think that that is the form GATO is trying to regain, and as an insider, I believe that we will regain that form. But as I said, that's not the GATO people were expecting, and those failed expectations lead people to assume we aren't free, which is incredibly sad.