Ukraine: The Empire Strikes Back

Source: The American Conservative
Published: Jul 18, 2023
Author: Andrew J. Bacevich
Post Date: 2023-07-18 19:30:28 by Charles_Byrd
Views: 1872

Amidst the dross that clutters the New York Times op-ed page on most days, glimmers of enlightenment occasionally appear. A recent guest column by Grey Anderson and Thomas Meaney offers a case in point.

“NATO Isn’t What It Says It Is,” declares the headline. Contrary to the claims of its architects and defenders, Anderson and Meaney argue persuasively that the central purpose of the alliance from its founding was not to deter aggression from the East and certainly not to promote democracy, but to “bind Western Europe to a far vaster project of a U.S.- led world order.” In return for Cold War-era security guarantees, America’s European allies offered deference and concessions on issues like trade and monetary policy. “In that mission,” they write, NATO “has proved remarkably successful.” A plot of real estate especially valued by members of the American elite, Europe thereby became the centerpiece of the postwar American imperium.

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#1: watchman    To: Charles_Byrd, vicomte13 (#0)

"Defeating Russia without having to do any actual fighting..."

It's almost as if vicompte13 wrote this...

Must be on the talking points handout.

Hint: repeating it at least three times is the key:

But what does it matter if Americans fight and spill a little blood? Aren't our cities going to be "razed" (along with the Dutch people being displaced) by the WEF? And what about the "12 ALIEN CRAFT In US Custody, Intel Confirms", not to mention Tucker Carlson's 10 foot tall aliens last seen in Las Vegas? Won't the frickin' aliens help us defeat Russia? Who cares if the aliens can't jack a front end loader. Those orc Russians will be toast when the aliens throw down.

watchman posted on 2023-07-18 20:58:21   Reply   Private Reply

#2: Vicomte13    To: Charles_Byrd (#0)

Yes, NATO is an alliance to bind all of Europe to the US. So?

Vicomte13 posted on 2023-07-23 12:55:45   Reply   Private Reply

#3: Charles_Byrd    To: Vicomte13 (#2)

NATO is an obsolete Cold War Relic. America should withdraw from it so that we don't become like Oceania in 1984.

Charles_Byrd posted on 2023-07-25 01:07:05   Reply   Private Reply

#4: Vicomte13    To: Charles_Byrd (#3)

NATO unites Europe under American supervision. That's a very great thing, given that the Russians are stupid aggressive orcs. The NATO line they dare not cross. If the US is not there, given their current performance in Ukraine, they'll invade the Baltic States, maybe Poland. Not happening with the US there. We stay.

Now, if Russia were to retire Putin, withdraw its forces from the Ukraine, and start being a reasonable country, there's no reason that Russia could not eventually join NATO as a free democracy. In it's current state, though, it is a threat to all of the little countries of Europe. They need the US as ballast against Russia. So we're not going anywhere.

Vicomte13 posted on 2023-07-25 13:35:48   Reply   Private Reply