Publication: Progressive Review
Is It Time to Disband NATO? | |
Subscribe FREE to Progressive Review by clicking here.
THE PROGRESSIVE REVIEW - April 7, 2008
------------------------------------------------------------
Is It Time to Disband NATO? -by Adrian Hamilton
It was British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, ever
shrewd in the ways of politics, who said that the only way
to hold a successful summit was to have the communiqué
already written before you arrived. On that reading, the
NATO summit in Bucharest has all the elements of a truly
miserable failure.
The participants are at odds over expansion to the East,
with the US, backed by the new entrants, urging Georgian
and Ukrainian membership against the public doubts of
Germany and the vehement opposition of Russia. The core
members are at odds over their individual contributions
to the war in Afghanistan.
------------------------------------------------------------
SPROUT FREE VEGETABLE BAGS...
Normal Price: $9.99
DEAL PRICE: $7.99 for two
SAVE EVEN MORE: Get Four for $13.98
Ensure veggies stay fresh longer with this unique storage
bag. Blackout lining keeps light out and veggies dry,
preventing sprouting & softening.
Each bag holds 10 pounds of vegetables. Simply put new
veggies into the top & pull the drawstring tight. Remove
veggies for use from the zippered side opening automat-
ically rotating your stock!
Set of 2 includes one (1) potato & one (1) onion bags. Can
also be used for carrots & other veggies. Made of washable
poly/cotton and each measures 19.68" X 14.37". To see a
picture or to order, visit: SPROUT FREE VEGETABLE BAGS
------------------------------------------------------------
If this were a family it would compete with the Royal
Tenenbaums for disfunctionality. Of course it won't be
allowed to end in a climax of slammed doors. The North
Atlantic Treaty Organization is regarded as far too
important, and prestigious, for that. Indeed no NATO
meeting is complete without a chorus of pronouncements
by premiers, politicians and pundits stressing just how
important the alliance is to the West and how, despite
the end of the Cold War that was its raison d'etre, it
is still needed more than ever in the post-9/11 world.
All true, no doubt — or at least in part. NATO has been an
extraordinarily effective organization in locking the US
into Europe militarily and in containing the Soviet Union.
But past pre-eminence is no guide to future purpose, and
it is the lack of definition of what NATO is for that is
now producing all the strains.
------------------------------------------------------------
ACUPRESSURE MASSAGER
Relax & Energize, Revive Tired Muscles & Relieve Stress...
Normal Price: $4.99
DEAL PRICE: $2.49 - Get two for $3.98
Release stress by massaging muscles and by activating
acupressure points, which send signals to relax all the
parts of the body. They are acupressure-hard to the touch
and feel GREAT pressed into your muscles. Try them on
your back, your feet (my favorite!), and hands. They are
amazing... Makes a GREAT GIFT For Men, and Women. Great
for Foot massages and foot spur relief. Great For Stress
Relief, Pregnancy Relief Foot Rub, Back Rub, Hand Rub,
Self Massage.
Using mini massage balls this massager will relax tense
muscles and stirs up circulation. It's both gentle and
comfortable to use. Pets love it too!
Plus our amazing price of this will relieve even more
tension... and we'll even discount it more if you buy
more than one. Get two and save an additional $1.00...
two for $3.98 ACUPRESSURE MASSAGER
------------------------------------------------------------
With the Cold War, the organization had a defined enemy
and a clear function — to defend Western Europe against
conventional or nuclear assault. Without the Cold War,
it has no clear enemy or function, only the persistence
of a well-honed military structure. The "War on Terror"
proponents see that honed structure as a ready-made means
of combating the new enemies in a world of Muslim extremism
and nuclear proliferation. If Europe was its theater of
operations in the Cold War, NATO's role after 9/11 is,
according to this doctrine, to go "out of theater" to
engage in operations in Afghanistan, the Middle East,
Africa or wherever else a threat is perceived.
At the same time President Bush, in pursuit of his vision
of "democracy" around the world and in search of a legacy
for his failing presidency, wants to use NATO membership
to secure the new democracies of the Orange and Rose
revolutions. Hence his enthusiasm to start the process of
entry for Ukraine and Georgia. Add to that a new president
of France who wants re-entry to full military participation
in NATO as a means to take France back to the heart of
international decision-making, and you have more energy
for movement in NATO than in a generation.
Only it is an energy without consensus or agreed direction.
The reluctance of member states to send more troops to
Afghanistan or to send them to the hot spots is not, as
Washington would brief, a matter of cowardice or parsimony.
It is because, for a number of European countries, there
is no public support after Iraq for an operation which
makes NATO troops into a white, Western occupying force.
------------------------------------------------------------
MULTI-BLADE SHREDDER SCISSORS
Normal Price: $9.99
DEAL PRICE: $5.99
SAVE EVEN MORE: Get Two for $9.98
Prevent identity thief and protect your personal information
with these incredible Multi-Blade Shredder Scissors. Five
pairs of stainless steel blades will easily shred your bank
statements, credit cards receipts and more... Use it at
home, office or business travels.
The Multi Blade Shredder Scissors are heavy duty with
larger handles than the other models you see.
Don't spend $40, $50 or even $100 on an expensive electric
shredder that stops working... This easy-to-use shredder
is ALWAYS READY TO WORK.
Makes a great gift too! To order this or see a picture,
visit: MULTI-BLADE SHREDDER SCISSORS
------------------------------------------------------------
In the same way President Bush, and the Ukrainian and
Georgian leaders, would make eastward expansion into a
matter of facing down Russia. But fear of Russia is not
the main reason for German (and French, Belgian and Dutch)
doubts. The problem is that expansion this far east would
take NATO right into the middle of the conflict between
Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking halves of Ukraine, never
mind the problem of the breakaway parts of Georgia,
disputes that could easily escalate into confrontation
with Moscow. For the very reason that the two countries
want membership, the organization should be wary of it.
For, as Moscow not unreasonably argues, if Russia is no
longer regarded as the enemy, why are we doing it and in
such haste?
This isn't a case of if we didn't have NATO we'd have to
invent it. The opposite is true. If we didn't have NATO
we'd invent something quite different at this point. We
would be involved in a different way, if at all, in
Afghanistan. We'd be using membership of the EU as the
means of securing the democracies of the former Soviet
republics. And we'd be developing an independent European
defense capability.
------------------------------------------------------------
Questions? Comments? email: Email your comments
-----------------------------------------------------------
Check out Political Videos on the Net at evtv1.com
Political Videos
ARCHIVES: PROGRESSIVE REVIEW Archives
Here's the link to the Home page of the PROGRESSIVE REVIEW
Forum: THE PROGRESSIVE REVIEW Forum
------------------------------------------------------------
End of PROGRESSIVE REVIEW
Copyright 2008 by NextEra Media. All rights reserved.
 E-Mail this issue
Subscribe FREE to Progressive Review by clicking here.
|