I was seriously wrong about NATO. I guess I wasn’t alone in dismissing NATO as a Cold War relic in search of a reason to exist. Macron called the organisation “brain-dead”. The difference between Macron and Trump is that the President of France is capable of learning.
Trump wants to pull the US out of NATO if he can stay out of jail long enough to get back into power. I’ve explained before; a Putin win in Ukraine will result in World War III so I’ll not repeat my thoughts here. Trump and his followers are hoping for a Russian win in Ukraine. Trump wants to see that war end by giving Putin whatever he wants and telling Zelensky to bite it. As an aside, he says at the same time that nobody, nobody is harder in Putin than he is. Whatever.
This is one way NATO could end. I was against a European Army but now change my mind. It would be good for Europe to have a fallback in case of a Trump win. I know that would create an overlapping and wasteful organisation but it’s probably worth it.
You’ll find most Americans support Ukraine and NATO and have a poor opinion of Russia. That surely sounds strange to an overseas reader given the paragraphs above. Trump has support from a small, loud group in Congress lead by Marjorie Taylor-Green. She has been vocal about making sure Russia gets a win.
So, is NATO still relevant? Yeah, if you don’t want WWIII. But there are three obstacles between imperialism and peace: Trump, Orban, and Erdoğan. These three men have a narrow view of what’s best for their NATO member states: The entire planet can burn…. As long as they can win the next election it’s all good. Simply stated: NATO can go to hell unless there’s some profit for them, personally.
How relevant is NATO at 75…
It must be as relevant as ever!
I believe now is the right time for NATO. They perfectly did their job during the Cold War era: containing the Soviet Union.
Then, after 1991, it was a lay-back time. The West relaxed as it finally arrived at ‘the end of history’.
Wrong!
As NATO was losing its mission, it was also expanding eastwards. I understand why the Eastern European countries and the Baltic states decided to join NATO. Looking at what happened to Ukraine, you realise they have made the right strategic decision.
As a Russian, I’ve never felt any threat from NATO. Moreover, in the early 2000s, it was mainstream to think that Russia might have once joined it. Even Putin was saying that he ‘wasn’t ruling out’ such a possibility.
I think if Russia and NATO had struck some deal like Japan has struck with the United States, this would have been great.
Then some weird bug bites Putin & Co, and they suddenly felt a strategic menace to Russia. The bug’s name is imperialism and corruption. Putin’s main goal was to stop NATO since that moment. Obviously, the guy had internal problems settled and challenges met.
Well, he hit the bull’s eye with his intentions. Just before the war, the Russian Foreign Ministry told NATO ‘to take your stuff and roll back’ to its 1997 boundaries. Recently, neutral Sweden and Finland joined the Alliance. Sweden was neutral since the early 19th century, by the way.
Great job, Vlad! What an achiever!
In 2009, the West made a strategic mistake by refusing Ukraine and Georgia a roadmap to joining NATO. It was after Russia had invaded Georgia already. Then, in 2014, there was the Crimea annexation. Then, there was 2022…
NATO must regain its glorious Cold War traditions by recovering its military power to restore order.
The West made another – most frightening mistake – in 1938 in Munich. They bowed down to a dictator, trying to pacify him.
Now it is time to stop appeasing another dictator, or history will repeat itself.
Probably, millions of lives can still be saved before the West realises that the action must be taken .
How relevant is NATO at 75?
Good old NATO remains in good health, and it’s 75th birthday is enjoyed from a position of unity and strength. There might have been some suspicion and uncertainty about the future of the organisation in the recent past, but the war in Ukraine has seen NATO return to its roots; discouraging a Kremlin that is hell-bent on expansion and war-mongering. We’ve seen more member states added, or to be added, and greater geographic cohesion than ever before. Thank you, Putin, what a masterstroke.
Also helping ensure the validity and necessity of NATO is the rise, and fear, of challenges from China. It’s no wonder that dialogue with partners in the Indo-Pacific region are being bolstered.
Since the demise of Trump following the 2020 USA election, it’s clear that smoother and more co-operative relations between that country and its allies have been manufactured, and indeed Washington’s image has been drastically improved at the same time. All that, of course, may change in November.
From a British standpoint, I am proud that the U.K. is one of the 12 founding member countries of NATO, with our land, sea and air forces providing significant contributions to the Alliance.
Right now, 16,000 British Army troops are among 40,000 NATO personnel taking part in the largest deployment in Europe for 40 years, Exercise Steadfast Defender. All this designed to develop and hone skills in land, sea, air, space, and cyber defence.
Relevant today? You bet, maybe more than ever in the present political climate.