NATO’s Eastward Expansion: Why Russia Resents Us?
A sane view of what has happened to our peaceful co-existance with Russia. I think Patrick J.Buchanan speaks to what too many others ignore. Why Russia Resents Us ? We set this conflict up with our misadventures with NATO and our betrayal of the Reagan/Gorbachev peace initiative. NATO is now moving four battalions into Eastern states: Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, three latter ones having been the former Baltic Republics of the Soviet Union with its population comprising of 1,052,520 ethnic Russians in the Baltic States. Are we really ready to start a war with Russia? Has Russia really been the only aggressor, or has NATO tested the Russian patience and resolve by encroaching upon the borders of Russia for a decade, literally surrounding the country with its military might?I know it’s easy to see Russian actions in Ukraine as diabolical, but from their position they finally had no choice but to strike back. It’s easy to demonize Putin, but maybe we should look at ourselves in the mirror. We’ve been the authors of the new cold war — not Russia. I know this isn’t a popular view, but maybe a little contrition and humility from our countries’ leaders and the military might go along way in reversing this mad return to the cold war that could easily become a hot war. It seems our leaders have made enemies of potential friends, and friends with our avowed enemies. It may be too late to reverse this dangerous policy of the U.S. and NATO, and we may have no choice now that the seeds of division and mistrust are planted but to prepare for war which no one will ultimately win economically or militarily. While the U.S. and Russia raise the stakes in a potential war of attrition, China sits back and builds its massive war machine and hegemony in the Pacific and threatens to overtake both Europe and the U.S. with its massive military buildup.Possibly, the only positive outcome of this cold war is the renovation of U.S. military arsenal and technological dominance as an offset to the rising threat of China’s increasing military advancements and their bluster and threats in the South China seas. Trump may be the only sane candidate in the race for presidency when he asks: “Wouldn’t it be nice if we actually got along with Russian and China“? The alternatives are far too frightening and dangerous for all of humanity, “Last Thursday, the Science and Security Board moved the Doomsday Clock forward to three minutes to midnight, noting: ‘The probability of global catastrophe is very high, and the actions needed to reduce the risks of disaster must be taken very soon.”Ron Watson, American Press AssociationMay 3,2016