Russia applauds U.S. moves on NATO membership

reuteurs ^ | 11/27/08 | reuteurs

[Flavius]

HAVANA (Reuters) – Russia welcomes a decision by the U.S. government to back away from granting fast-track NATO membership to ex-Soviet republics Georgia and Ukraine at the alliance's summit later this month, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday.

"I am satisfied common sense prevailed," he told reporters during a visit to Havana. "Whatever the reasons, European pressure or whatever else, the main thing is that they (Washington) no longer push ahead with their previous ferociousness and senselessness."

[Flavius]

ho hum

[InterceptPoint]

As I recall, NATO is a DEFENSE organization. Nations align themselves to make the group strong enough so that potential enemies will be afraid to attack any of the members since a war against one is a war against all. Our experience has been, at least in Europe, that this works. NATO was successful in defending Western Europe from any attack by the Soviet Union for over 40 years.

So our failure in this case to incorporate Georgia and the Ukraine into an expanded NATO makes a very clear statement: Russia, you may with impunity invade either of these nations - we are not prepared to defend them. You have a free hand.

[PzLdr]

And Georgia and Ukraine join a new organization of states that have been left swinging in the wind because of U.S pusillanimity: East Germany, Hungary, the Republic of Viet Nam, the Kurds and Shia of Iraq when Bush I was POTUS...

[PzLdr]

Although they weren’t a country, I left out the Cuban freedom fighters at the Bay of Pigs.

[microgood]

I had no problem with Warsaw Pact countries being invited to NATO but I do with former Soviet states with large populations of Russians. Bush blew it I pushing for Ukraine and Georgia membership.

[wku man]

"Russia applauds U.S. moves cave-in on NATO membership"

There...fixed it.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[PzLdr]

Tell that to the Ukrainians and Georgians who didn’t ask for all those Russians, and who suffered millions of deaths as a result of Russsian action.

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

So our failure in this case to incorporate Georgia and the Ukraine into an expanded NATO makes a very clear statement: Russia, you may with impunity invade either of these nations - we are not prepared to defend them. You have a free hand.

Yeah, thanks Jorge and Condi-Clueless.

They are too busy "mandating" terms of surrender to Israel, while absolving the terrorist Fatah of any wrongdoing.

Sheesh, is it Jan 20th yet???

[microgood]

Tell that to the Ukrainians and Georgians who didn’t ask for all those Russians, and who suffered millions of deaths as a result of Russsian action.

I have no problem doing that. There are limits to what we can do in the world.

NATO was set up as a defensive shield to prevent the Soviet Union from spreading West. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, however, it has shifted it policies and has been trying to move its Eastern border as far East as possible. With each country that is brought on, we have to invest significant resources to support their memberships. They become permanent liabilities for us and future generations.

Georgia brings up another point. How many Americans are we willing to sacrifice if Georgia's out of control president picks a fight with the Russia just to force a NATO response? NATO, of course, claims that NATO membership is stabilizing these new members politically and that the weak governments in Ukraine and Georgia will be better after they join NATO. It certainly has not worked out that way in Latvia.

[Iron Munro]

NATO has outlived its stated purpose.
It should have been disbanded or severely restrained after the collapse of the USSR.
Russians are naturally paranoid enough.
Pushing for the admittance into NATO of the old Warsaw Pact and Soviet Bloc countries has fed that paranoia.

[Dmytro Kornilov]

“As I recall, NATO is a DEFENSE organization. Nations align themselves to make the group strong enough so that potential enemies will be afraid to attack any of the members since a war against one is a war against all. “

Too bad that when America goes to war Georgia and Ukraine won’t be there to be there to defend us.

[InterceptPoint]

"Too bad that when America goes to war Georgia and Ukraine won’t be there to be there to defend us."

Well I don't know about the Ukraine but Georgia had troops fighting with us in Iraq.