The Degeneration Of NATO
NATO ceased to be a genuine military alliance in 2004, when idealists made the short-sighted decision to include the small, weak, vulnerable states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia in the alliance. This inclusion increased the chance of the United States getting involved in a war with Russia, cornered Vladimir Putin, laid the grounds for the Georgian conflict and the Crimea seizure, but added nothing to the security of the core NATO states. It was quite simply strategic charity. It was not in the interest of any of the core NATO states, and has detracted rather than enhanced their security – not to mention the fact that it was perceived as breaking a promise NATO made to the Russian Federation in 1991 not to touch Russia’s borders. Most importantly, it meant the death of NATO as a dependable military alliance.
What used to be a serious military alliance that significantly enhanced the security of Western Europe and the United States is now an international club of idealists. NATO is now essentially a more militarized UN Peacekeeping force. The greatest criticism of the United Nations has been that it is often unwilling to use military force to end humanitarian disasters, but where the UN exercised restraint, NATO has been far more willing to violate the sovereignty of states where the organization deems to find moral justification. In Kosovo, Bosnia, Libya – and almost Syria – NATO used significant military force while the UN did not.
This is, however, not what NATO was created for. When it was formed in 1949, NATO was not designed to be a humanitarian crusader. Its entire purpose was simply to deter Russia from invading Germany. Over time, it expanded its role to that of a general containment of the Soviet Empire. Nations, such as Turkey, were added only when they enhanced the policy of containment. But at no point during the Cold War did NATO pretend to be a cooperative international club designed to overthrow morally dubious leaders. Like most military alliances, it was designed to enhance the collective security of its member states by deterring another Great Power from pursuing aggressive policies. This was the basic idea behind NATO until 1991, when the Soviet Union fell and NATO faced an existential crisis. The alliance essentially lost its central purpose, and instead of consolidating itself to the core states, it needlessly and foolishly expanded into historic Russian territory. The idealists took NATO in the direction of “cooperation” and humanitarian interventions, ignoring the harsh political realities of Europe.
The result is clear. NATO is no longer enhancing the security of its core members, especially the United States. The United States is now obligated by treaty to defend Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Albania, and Croatia. These are states with which the America has no historical ties, and no moral obligation or political interest in protecting. Sometime in the future, the United States is going to be faced with getting involved in a conflict in which it has no interest, or suffering a serious loss of prestige. And the United States receives almost nothing in return. Does anyone truly think that having an alliance with the state of Lithuania, with its population of 1.3 million, enhances in any meaningful way American power or security? The Baltic states, and for that matter the Balkan states, are a strategic liability to the West, not a strategic asset.
Since the end of the Cold War, NATO has devolved into a dysfunctional geopolitical charity provider which reduces the security of its core states. It increases rather than decreases (as it did during the Cold War), the chances of a war between the United States and Russia, and it is now acting primarily as an instrument for humanitarian interventions. NATO has lost its role as a credible military alliance.
Trending Now on Affluent Christian Investor
Sorry. No data so far.
The Affluent Mix
Biden Oblivious To Illegal Immigration Issues... August 2, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

Rob Arnott On Bubbles, Inflation, And Once-In-A-Generation Investment Opportunit... August 2, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

The Federal Reserve’s Massive Theft Of Stability... August 2, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

What To Do About This Difficult Market? August 2, 2021 | David Bahnsen

Letter On The Politicization Of Corporations... July 26, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Peak Of The Fake Bull Market July 26, 2021 | Michael Pento

Woodrow Wilson’s Administrative State vs. Gold... July 26, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

Dividends, Energy, And Crypto July 26, 2021 | David Bahnsen

Whose Side Are You On? July 26, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

Media, Left Ignore These Dangers July 19, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

Mark Skousen On FreedomFest And How To Measure The Whole Economy... July 19, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Quantifying The Quantitative, Or Making Easy The Easing... July 19, 2021 | David Bahnsen

The Gold Standard Means A Rising Standard Of Living... July 19, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

Book Review: Brian Domitrovic Reveals The Monetary Genius Of Arthur Laffer... July 19, 2021 | John Tamny

Steve Forbes: Time To Worry About Inflation, Not Hyperinflation... July 12, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

UFOs Rescue Biden July 12, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

Read This Classical Economist’s 200 Year Old Warning About Paper Money... July 12, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

How Central Banks Murdered The Markets July 12, 2021 | Michael Pento

Everything There Is To Know About The Stock Market... July 12, 2021 | David Bahnsen

AT&T CEO: We’re Ill Equipped For Politics, And We’re Spending A Lot Of ... July 6, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Internet Bias Distorts National Conversation... July 6, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

The Halfway Point Of 2021 July 6, 2021 | David Bahnsen

Join the conversation!
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse.