NATO’s Expansion: Objectives and Consequences

Introduction

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (*NATO) was created in 1949 by 12 countries, including the U.S., Canada & other Western European countries, to provide collective security against the former USSR

In May 1955, West Germany joined NATO, which was one of the conditions agreed to as part of the end of the country’s occupation by France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, prompting the USSR to form their own collective security alliance, the Warsaw Pact, later that month.

After the breakup of the USSR, it should have been disbanded as Russia demanded, or its scale of operations reduced. However, during George Bush’s presidency, Americans started thinking about the enlargement of NATO to not only keep the EU under American control but also deny the EU an opportunity to fill the security vacuum in Central Europe, and thus challenge American post-Cold War influence. They were particularly apprehensive about France’s traditional independent foreign policy stance, and Germany’s sensitivities towards Russia

There is a lot of controversy about whether NATO assured the leaders of the former USSR, namely Yeltsin and Gorbachev, that there would be no expansion of NATO toward Russia. NATO denies it, while Russian leaders insist that informal assurances were given. Putin is adamant

Russia had serious reservations about this expansion but was unable to do anything because of its own weak position, and the fact that these countries were not republics of the former USSR. However, Georgia and Ukraine were the red lines for Russia

What are Russia’s objections to NATO expansion?

Because of the lack of any topographical barriers in its soft belly to stop aggression, and a long history of invasions, Russia is extremely sensitive to NATO expansion towards its borders. Some of their specific objections are

1. NATO should have been disbanded after the fall of the USSR; instead, it is expanding towards its borders
2. Besides expanding, NATO is strengthening its aggressive capabilities. In 2016, NATO deployed four multinational battlegroups to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
3. Deployment of the missiles in the Aegis Ashore site in Romania threatens Russian security
4. NATO nuclear sharing and nuclear exercises violate the Non-Proliferation Treaty
5. By suspending practical cooperation with Russia, NATO undermines Russia’s security.
6. Russia has the right to demand a guarantee that Ukraine and Georgia will not join NATO
7. NATO whips up ‘hysteria’ over Russia’s exercises while it conducts full-scale exercises.
8. NATO is a U.S. geopolitical project by proxy
9. NATO has tried to isolate or marginalise Russia

What is the hidden agenda of NATO's expansion towards Russia?

1. Containment of China: Since the early 1990s, all successive American presidents have put countering the military rise of China at the forefront of America’s national security strategy and its national defence strategy. However, they understand that as long as Russia is standing with China, it is impossible to contain its rise. They are brow-beating Russia to become their partner against China for its containment instead of becoming China’s ally
2. Access to Resources: Central Asia is endowed with water and abundant rich and varied energy resources — hydropower, oil, gas, and coal. These resources have traditionally been of interest because of their connection to Russia, but over the past decade, this link has increasingly become less relevant as exports to China have started to dominate. American and European firms are desperate to have a firm foothold in the region before the Chinese firms crowd them out.
3. Neo.Con Agenda: In 1992, Paul Wolfowitz wrote a document arguing that the United States would remain the “unipolar global hegemon”. It became the input for the now notorious 1997 document “Project for the New American Century”. Essentially, what these documents are claiming is that China and Russia, Iran, North Korea, and violent Islamic extremist groups are the enemies of the United States and existential threats to the U.S. and the U.S.-imposed world order.
4. Military-Industrial Complex: American foreign policy is heavily dominated by its Military-Industrial Complex which wants to sell its armaments for which constant warfare is needed
5. Cutting Russia to Size: Americans/NATO believe Russia has become too big for its shoes, challenging the USA and its allies everywhere. They are perturbed over their Middle East and Afghanistan fiascos and rightly blame Russia for their defeats in these two war theatres
6. Balkanisation of Russia: The USA and its allies do not consider Russia a superpower or as a threat to their security. To them, Russia, because of its dwindling population but huge territory, is no longer a viable state which needs to break into pieces

Why do Ukraine, Finland, etc. want to join NATO?

Finland and Sweden have for decades been NATO’s closest partners, despite their official “non-alignment.”

Security; All neighbouring countries of Russia are wary of its newfound zeal to reincarnate the USSR in a new form. They have seen life under Soviet rule; they do not want to go back. Ask Arabs if would like to reincarnate the Ottoman Empire, which Erdogan and his party are very keen on. Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö says his country is seeking NATO membership because Russia’s invasion proved that the Kremlin does not respect officially non-aligned countries. Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson also pointed to Russia’s actions. Ukraine, along with Georgia, sought to join NATO at the Bucharest Summit in 2008, viewing it as a route to independence from Russian influence

Prosperity: While their states want to join NATO for security reasons, their societies want to join them for prosperity and a good quality of life. They know that the NATO umbrella would facilitate trade, travel, investment, etc., enlarging their opportunities. That is why Public support for NATO membership in the Nordic countries shot up virtually overnight after Russia invaded Ukraine, with a substantial majority in both countries now in favour of joining the alliance.

From my book “International Relations: Basic Concepts & Global Issues”, available at Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QZSRWT1