Which alliance is formed by Western democracies and is distinct from the Warsaw Pact?

• A. ANZUS
• B. NATO
• C. SEATO
• D. CENTO

Answer: (B)

In the Cold War, Western democracies organized a broad collective defense to deter the Soviet Union. NATO, formed in 1949, brings together North American and Western European states under a mutual defense commitment, creating a clear bloc that stands opposite the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. That broad, Western-democracy alliance is what the question points to. The other options are more regional or bilateral arrangements—ANZUS links the United States with Australia and New Zealand; SEATO is a Southeast Asia security pact; CENTO connects Western-aligned states with Iran and Turkey—so they don’t embody the same wide, Western alliance that contrasts with the Warsaw Pact.