[JonPreston]

“We understand that not only for the Soviet Union but for other European countries as well it is important to have guarantees,” then-US Secretary of State James Baker told Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990. “If the United States keeps its presence in Germany within the framework of NATO, not an inch of NATO’s present military jurisdiction will spread in an eastern direction.”

Since that comment by Baker, 14 countries have been added to NATO’s membership list, most of them in Eastern Europe. As George Kennan, the original architect of US foreign policy in the Cold War, noted: “expanding NATO would be the most fateful error in American policy in the entire post-Cold War era.”

[SpeedyInTexas]

““expanding NATO would be the most fateful error in American policy in the entire post-Cold War era.”

Wrong. Being in NATO prevents those countries from being attacked. If Ukraine had been in NATO, RuZZia would never have invaded.

NATO brings peace for its members.

[BeauBo]

“for the Soviet Union it is important to have guarantees,” then-US Secretary of State James Baker told Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990.”

“for the Soviet Union” - which no longer exists.

Russia was supposed to have reformed after the end of the Soviet Union, and no longer be a hostile enemy of NATO, looking to conquer and subjugate its neighbors, but rather a responsible neighbor, like normal countries are.

But Russia did not reform, and its aggressiveness has grown, driving all those countries to seek protection from it within NATO. Russia attacked Chechnya. Russia attacked Georgia. Russia attacked the Ukraine in 2014.

Russia chose to attack. Repeatedly.