[lbo-talk] NATO's eastward expansion

[Marv Gandall]

There's a useful outline in Counterpunch's weekend edition of NATO expansion in Eastern Europe from the Baltic to the Balkans since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Renee Parsons largely draws on the work of James Goldgeier, cochair of the bipartisan Project for a United and Strong America and author of “Not Whether but When: The US Decision to Enlarge NATO". 

NATO's eastward expansion proceeded rapidly under the Clinton and Bush Jr. administrations, reversing assurances by the Bush Sr. administration to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that such would not be the case following the withdrawal of Soviet forces from East Germany.  Orchestrated by the Nato Enlargement Office in the State Department, the Western military alliance quickly filled the space previously occupied by the Warsaw Pact, taking in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Baltic states, Slovenia, Croatia,  Bulgaria, Romania, and Albania between 1999-2009. 

Other former Soviet and Yugoslav republics were also invited to join NATO. A strong political and military reaction from Russia, however, has to date caused the alliance to hesitate about formally admitting Georgia and Ukraine. 

The only discordant note in the article is Parsons' conclusion that the intent of NATO expansion is war with Russia. NATO's pressure on the Russian border is intended to secure peace in the region on terms favourable to the US and its European allies short of a military confrontation. 

http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/04/11/us-state-departmentnato-enlargement-project/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=us-state-departmentnato-enlargement-project