By Cliff DuRand
What are the reasons for the United States’s steadfast adherence to NATO and its eastward expansion even after the end of the Cold War? Thirty years ago, there was an unwritten agreement that NATO would “not move one inch eastward” and yet it has done so country by country until all of Russia’s neighbors except Ukraine and Belarus now belong to NATO. This has been called one of the greatest mistakes since the end of the Cold War. In 1997, George F. Kennan warned that “expanding NATO would be the most fateful error of American policy in the post-Cold War era. Such a decision may be expected to inflame the nationalistic, anti-Western, and militaristic tendencies in Russian opinion…to restore the atmosphere of the Cold War to East–West relations.”
Recently, Russia offered a draft treaty to demilitarize Eastern Europe, but the United States won’t even talk about it. Biden called for diplomacy but won’t even consider a pledge to never bring Ukraine into NATO. In other words, the United States wants negotiations only on its own terms. Ironically, Donald Trump has been the only president who has tried to downplay NATO.
NATO has been a useful arm of U.S. imperialism, not only in the north Atlantic region but in north Africa and the Middle East as well.
Harry Targ and Margaret Flowers will discuss why the United States is so committed to NATO. Harry Targ is a retired Political Scientist at Purdue University. Among other books, he has published “Challenging Late Capitalism, Neo-Liberal Globalization and Militarism: Building a Progressive Majority.” Margaret Flowers is a Baltimore-based activist known for her work with PopularResistance.org
This webinar is part of a weekly series featuring thought-provoking speakers on a variety of social issues. The Center for Global Justice is devoted to research and learning for a better world. We offer these webinars every Monday at 1:00pm. Tune in at www.globaljusticecenter.org. You can also view past programs there.
Webinar
“NATO and Imperialism”
With Harry Targ and Margaret Flowers
Mon, Mar 14, 1pm Central time
Sponsor: Center for Global Justice
Free
