Since 1992 I have not been a fan of NATO….in the beginning it was to solve the possible expansion of the former USSR…..after the break-up I did not see a threat(at that time) to Europe so I thought Clinton should have dissolved the group and let Europe come up with their own defense plan if ever needed.
I still am not a fan of NATO because I think they are expanding its reach far beyond Europe.
In recent years NATO has created more problems than it solves….
It has become fashionable among the mainstream western commentariat to claim that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had nothing to do with NATO expansion, but as recently explained by Philippe Lemoine for the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology, that’s a completely false narrative that requires snipping past comments made by Putin out of the context in which they were made. Many western experts warned for years in advance that NATO expansion would lead to a conflict like the one we’re seeing today, and they were of course correct.
The recent push to expand NATO in Ukraine along with nations like Finland and Sweden as justified by “Russian aggression” is a good example of what professor Richard Sakwa has called the “fateful geographical paradox: that NATO exists to manage the risks created by its existence.” As the late scholar on US-Russia relations Stephen Cohen explained years before the Ukraine crisis erupted in 2014, Moscow sees NATO as an “American sphere of influence,” and the expansion of NATO and NATO influence as expansion of that sphere. It reacts to this with hostility just as the US would react to China or Russia building up aggressive military alliances on its borders, and arguably with vastly more restraint than the US would.
Other future examples of Sakwa’s fateful geographical paradox are likely to include the push to reconfigure NATO into an alliance dedicated to “restraining” China, which of course means halting China’s rise on the world stage and working to constrict, balkanize and usurp it. A recent Financial Times article titled “Washington steps up pressure on European allies to harden China stance” gives new detail to this agenda:
https://caitlinjohnstone.substack.com/p/nato-exists-to-solve-the-problems
I still think that NATO should be replaced with a European lead group….after all it is their necks on the line if Russia is truly the threat that so many think it is these days.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
In Saner Thought 
All these things had their place in History — The League of Nations that was replaced by The United Nations is one such example.
They were sufficient for their day and time but the reasons for their existence has changed with the passing of years.
We do not need to eliminate these institutions because there will always be threats to peace and safety in the world that might require a unified response.
What we need to do is rethink these institutions and bring them into the Twenty First Century.
Rethink is all I ask…..but as long as Europe is threatened then should they not lead to way? chuq
In the case of Putin, when Europe is threatened then the rest of the world is threatened in the bargain.
At this point I disagree….he has his hands full with Europe and I will be long dead before the US is a target of his military….chuq
Don’t say that, Chuq, you are a nice fellow and I want you to be around for a long time yet.
I intend to be…..and blogging the whole time. chuq
NATO is not unlike the United Nations. It has exceeded its remit on occasion, and outlived its usefulness. Time for change, and a rethink.
Best wishes, Pete.
The UN needs an upgrade like getting rid of the permanent members of the Security Council…..NATO needs to be in the hands of Europe alone with US giving support when needed. chuq
It doesn’t appear that the quotes author acknowledges Putin’s imperialist rhetoric back in circa 2009.
What about NATO? Be well chuq
What about it? Russia has long been a threat to Europe and international stability. They’ve also Ben given multiple security guarantees, that they promptly ignored.
Russia will always be billed as a threat…..chuq
And they’ve proven the validity of that billing.
When Russia is not then China will be the monster in the closet. chuq