NATO

The incoherence at the heart of NATO

It spent years stoking a conflict with Russia it had no intention of fighting.

Some seem to believe that the war in Ukraine has galvanised Western alliances. In particular, they argue that Russia’s act of aggression has given that hoary old Cold War institution, NATO, a renewed sense of purpose, reversing decades of drift and division. As US president Joe Biden declared after last week’s NATO summit, ‘Putin was banking on NATO being split – NATO has never, never been more united than it is today’.

That was certainly the impression NATO leaders wanted to give (footage of Boris Johnson looking lost and alone aside). Unity. Commitment. Purpose. NATO leaders talked of imposing ‘unprecedented costs on Russia’. They pledged to pour more weapons – and upgraded ones to boot – into Ukraine. And Biden himself seemed to be on a one-man escalation mission, threatening both regime change in Moscow and to respond ‘in kind’ to any Russian chemical-weapon use.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inNATO

Russia May Not Stop With Ukraine – NATO Looks To Its Weakest Link

It looks a lot like a return to the past. Founded in 1949 to defend against the Soviet threat, the NATO alliance is facing a return to mechanised warfare, a huge increase in defence spending, and potentially a new Iron Curtain falling across Europe. After struggling to find a new post-Cold War role, countering terrorism following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States in 2001 and a humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, NATO is back defending against its original nemesis.

Share
by Sarcasticat••0•Posted inNATO, Russia, Ukraine, War

NATO head urges Canada, other allies to do more on defence commitments

Canada has not spent more than 2% of its GDP on defence in decades

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says he appreciates Canada’s commitments so far, but expects all allies “to do more” and follow up on pledges to spend at least two per cent of gross domestic product on defence.

Stoltenberg stopped short of explicitly asking for Canada to hit that mark in its upcoming federal budget, referring instead to previous NATO agreements dating back to 2014 that commit allies to increase spending and focus on a GDP target of two per cent.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada, NATO

Nearly three-quarters of Canadians say NATO should prepare to intervene in Ukraine: poll

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has signalled its solidarity with Ukraine in the form of supplies, weapons and sanctions since the early days of Russia’s latest incursion into its territory, but has not deployed troops for combat.

“This is the first time where people say, ‘Give diplomacy and sanctions a chance but brace for potentially this becoming military involvement,”’ said Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque.

Share
by Sarcasticat••0•Posted inCanada, NATO, Russia, Ukraine, War

Joe Biden Threatens ‘World War III’ if Vladimir Putin Attacks NATO

The president spoke about the conflict at a House Democrat retreat in Philadelphia, vowing again to defend “every inch” of NATO territory from Putin and the Russians.

“Granted, if we respond, it is World War III, but we have a sacred obligation,” he said to his fellow Democrats.

Share
by Sarcasticat••0•Posted in"President Dementia AKA Joe Biden", idiot politician, NATO, Russia, Vladimir Putin, War

Canada’s perennial status as a NATO freeloader is getting awkward

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continued his tour of Europe to “work closely with allies to strengthen NATO.” But even as Canada places 500 troops in Latvia and pledges CF-18s for Romania, there is an elephant in the room whenever Trudeau talks to NATO members about collective security: He happens to represent a country that has spent more than a generation phoning in its NATO commitments.

Share
by Sarcasticat••0•Posted inCanada, Canada's incompetent Liberal Government, NATO

Russia Should Worry: The US Military Has Activated Its Strategic Materiel Stockpile

For the past weeks, the 405th Army Field Support Brigade has been preparing for the incoming troops by activating the Army Prepositioned Stock-2 sites, which are capable of outfitting an entire armored brigade combat team.

The strategic reserves at the Army Prepositioned Stock-2 sites include hundreds of M1 Abrams tanks, M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, Paladin M109A6 self-propelled howitzers, supply trucks, and other vehicles.

Share
by Sarcasticat••0•Posted inmilitary, NATO, Russia, Ukraine, USA, War

Blinken: NATO Countries Have ‘Green Light’ to Send Fighter Jets to Ukraine

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday on CBS’s “Face The Nation” that the United States has given the “green light” to NATO countries who have wanted to provide fighter jets to Ukraine.

Russia has warned countries offering airfields to Ukraine would be entering the ongoing conflict.

The very entity that Putin is fighting against. It’s WW3, intentionally.

Share
by Sarcasticat••0•Posted inNATO, Russia, Ukraine, War

Germany’s army: Will €100 billion make it strong?

At first, only two black dots are visible in the bright blue sky above the Eifel region in the far west of Germany. Then, the dots turn into the shapes of two F-35 fighter jets, the roar of their engines quickly growing louder. The jets are coming from the east, where they have been flying patrols over Poland near the Ukrainian border and are now heading back toward the US Air Force Base Spangdahlem.

That’s where US troops have deployed 12 of the aircraft to monitor NATO airspace over Eastern Europe in the face of Russian aggression.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inGermany, NATO

Address by the President of the Russian Federation

I will begin with what I said in my address on February 21, 2022. I spoke about our biggest concerns and worries, and about the fundamental threats which irresponsible Western politicians created for Russia consistently, rudely and unceremoniously from year to year. I am referring to the eastward expansion of NATO, which is moving its military infrastructure ever closer to the Russian border.

Share
by Sarcasticat••0•Posted inNATO, Russia, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, War

What’s NATO’s article 4 and why are people talking about it?

Article 4 of the NATO treaty covers the case when a member state feels threatened by another country or a terrorist organization. The 30 member states would then start formal consultations at the request of the threatened member. The talks, would look at whether a threat exists and how to counter it, with decisions arrived at unanimously. Article 4 does not, however, mean there would be direct pressure to act.

This consultation mechanism has been triggered several times in NATO’s history. For instance, by Turkey one year ago, when Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack from Syria. At that time, NATO decided to consult, but did not take any action.

Poor Ukraine

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inNATO, Ukraine

Xi and Putin urge NATO to rule out expansion as Ukraine tensions rise

China’s Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin of Russia have signed a joint statement calling on the west to “abandon the ideologised approaches of the cold war”, as the two leaders showcased their warming relationship amid a tense standoff with the west before the Beijing Winter Olympics.

In the joint statement released by the Kremlin, Putin and Xi called on Nato to rule out expansion in eastern Europe, denounced the formation of security blocs in the Asia Pacific region, and criticised the Aukus trilateral security pact between the US, UK and Australia.

The two leaders met for the 38th time since 2013. The two countries also pledged to step up cooperation to thwart “colour revolutions” and external interference, and vowed to further deepen “back-to-back” strategic coordination.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"China - Communist Slave State", NATO, Russia, Ukraine

Europe: the little kid’s table at the Ukraine talks

It’s past time for the continent to step up and take charge of its own defense

While American and Russian officials are yelling at one another in the UN Security Council chamber, another international actor has found itself at the little kid’s table: Europe.

It’s possible the phrase “little kid’s table” is too harsh. To be fair, French President Emmanuel Macron is at least in direct communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin and urging his European colleagues to formulate a joint European negotiating position on the Ukraine question. France is also a chief mediator of the Normandy Format, which seeks to resolve the eight-year conflict in Ukraine’s Donbas region.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inEurope, NATO, Russia, Ukraine

The disarray of the West

The Russia-Ukraine crisis has exposed the fraying of the Western alliance.

Representatives of the ‘West’, from the US and NATO to the European powers, all dialled in to Monday’s confab to discuss the Ukraine crisis. US president Joe Biden emerged afterwards determined to put on a united front. ‘I had a very, very, very good meeting’, he said, adding, ‘total unanimity with all the European leaders’.

This is at best wishful thinking. If anything, the Russia-Ukraine confrontation has exposed precisely the absence of unanimity among members of the Western alliance. Each nation and each institution has signally pursued its own divergent objectives, often negotiating and talking to Moscow independently, and, in the process, crossing wires, muddying waters and taking us further away from any realistic solution.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inNATO, Ukraine