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Don’t rely on NATO [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-09-23
Those who bleat that they “just want to end the war in Ukraine” will tell you that by appeasing Putin we will still maintain the firewall of NATO. “Putin wouldn’t dare attack NATO,” they say. Well, ‘they’ are useful idiots.
Of course, Putin wouldn’t overtly attack NATO. That would be suicide. But don’t think that NATO is a monolithic block that will always hang together. Biden and many other NATO leaders have done a magnificent job of keeping the coalition together. Much to Putin’s chagrin, they have stymied one of Putin’s goals in invading Ukraine.
However, an overt attack isn’t necessarily the only failure mode for the future of NATO. Article 13 of the treaty allows a member nation to withdraw. As of 2023, no member state has rescinded their membership, although it has been considered by several countries:
In 2019 the Green Party advocated a review of Canadian membership of the alliance.
membership of the alliance. In 1966 French president Charles de Gaulle downgraded France's membership in NATO and withdrew France from the NATO Military Command Structure. French parties advocating withdrawal from NATO include the souverainist Popular Republican union, together with the left wing La France Insoumise and the far left French Communist Party. The right-wing Gaullist Debout la France and the nationalist National Rally advocate reversing the 2009 decision for France returning to NATO command. In a 2017 poll, 60% of French people viewed NATO favorably, and 34% unfavorably.
president Charles de Gaulle downgraded France's membership in NATO and withdrew France from the NATO Military Command Structure. French parties advocating withdrawal from NATO include the souverainist Popular Republican union, together with the left wing La France Insoumise and the far left French Communist Party. The right-wing Gaullist Debout la France and the nationalist National Rally advocate reversing the 2009 decision for France returning to NATO command. In a 2017 poll, 60% of French people viewed NATO favorably, and 34% unfavorably. In Germany Die Linkspartei opposes military alliances, and including NATO membership.
Die Linkspartei opposes military alliances, and including NATO membership. 1974 due to the invasion of Cyprus by Turkish forces, Greece withdrew from NATO military command.
withdrew from NATO military command. Several political parties in Montenegro , including New Serb Democracy and the Democratic People's Party, oppose NATO membership.
, including New Serb Democracy and the Democratic People's Party, oppose NATO membership. While the far-right populist Forum voor Democratie supports NATO membership, it was reported by the investigative show Zembla that privately the party's leader Thierry Baudet would like the Netherlands to leave NATO and align the country's foreign policy with Russia.
to leave NATO and align the country's foreign policy with Russia. The left-wing electoral alliance Unidas Podemos supported Spanish withdrawal from NATO.
withdrawal from NATO. In the US, polling conducted by Pew Research Center in 2017 showed that over three-quarters of Democrats are favorable to NATO with just 48% of Republicans favorable. All the major third parties including the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Constitution Party support withdrawing the United States from NATO.
The bottom line here is that NATO is not the impregnable bastion of defense that some might think. On the other side of the equation, what does Putin want? Will he be satisfied if Ukraine negotiates and gives up part of its territory? Or would this be, at best, a respite for his beleaguered army. You know the answer.
A better question would be, ‘Will the Russian people be satisfied?’ According to “War and Punishment” by journalist Mikhail Zygar, Russia for centuries has been, and continues to be, an imperialist power. From tsars, to communists, to fascist dictator it’s all the same expansionism. It’s not just Putin.
Two points to remember if you “just want to end the war in Ukraine”,
Don’t rely on a NATO firewall to keep them out of your back yard and, Keep in mind that Russia was in Fort Ross CA until 1841.
The best way to “just end the war in Ukraine” is to soundly defeat the Russians, restore ALL of Ukraine’s territory, and guarantee Ukrainian security.
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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/23/2195126/-Don-t-rely-on-NATO
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