Just finally read that linked article, and from where I stand, and the author of the article stands, Russia really has no right to make these demands. Nothing was officially agreed upon (signed by both parties). People give political promises all the time, but nothing is real until signed. What are your thoughts on that?
My thoughts on that are that NATO lied to the leaders of USSR and created a false impression of its intentions. Then once USSR fell, NATO took the opportunity of the ensuing chaos to ruthlessly expand itself and create chaos across the region. Russia is now in a position to make its own demands now, and that’s what they’re doing. The end result will either be new security treaties being signed that ensure peace in Europe or we’ll see a war happen.
I think the former is likely to happen over war. There will be some sort of law that restricts NATO membership or the like. Russia is considered to be in a partnership for peace with NATO, and that’s likely where the dialogue is surrounding. I think the number of NATO members who would rather negotiate peace outweigh the larger more influential members advocating for provocation (US and UK). I really want to see peace in the region.
That’s my expectation as well. I think everyone understands that war would be devastating for both Russia and Europe. Another likely possibility is that NATO just falls apart, and new protocols are developed between Europe and Russia. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the goals of US and Europe are no longer aligned the way they were in the past, and I don’t think Europe is interested in being used as a pawn in US geopolitical games.
Exactly, I think countries need to abandon antagonistic mentality that developed during the cold war and start learning to work together despite their differences. We have big problems like climate change looming in front of us, and we have to stop bickering over ideology in order to start tackling them effectively.
If only governments actually recognized this threat. They crave antagonistic encounters because it dominates the public discourse and action on climate change takes a back seat.
Just finally read that linked article, and from where I stand, and the author of the article stands, Russia really has no right to make these demands. Nothing was officially agreed upon (signed by both parties). People give political promises all the time, but nothing is real until signed. What are your thoughts on that?
My thoughts on that are that NATO lied to the leaders of USSR and created a false impression of its intentions. Then once USSR fell, NATO took the opportunity of the ensuing chaos to ruthlessly expand itself and create chaos across the region. Russia is now in a position to make its own demands now, and that’s what they’re doing. The end result will either be new security treaties being signed that ensure peace in Europe or we’ll see a war happen.
I think the former is likely to happen over war. There will be some sort of law that restricts NATO membership or the like. Russia is considered to be in a partnership for peace with NATO, and that’s likely where the dialogue is surrounding. I think the number of NATO members who would rather negotiate peace outweigh the larger more influential members advocating for provocation (US and UK). I really want to see peace in the region.
That’s my expectation as well. I think everyone understands that war would be devastating for both Russia and Europe. Another likely possibility is that NATO just falls apart, and new protocols are developed between Europe and Russia. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the goals of US and Europe are no longer aligned the way they were in the past, and I don’t think Europe is interested in being used as a pawn in US geopolitical games.
Yeah I agree. NATO originally formed in 1949, which is a world and a half different from the current world we currently live in.
Exactly, I think countries need to abandon antagonistic mentality that developed during the cold war and start learning to work together despite their differences. We have big problems like climate change looming in front of us, and we have to stop bickering over ideology in order to start tackling them effectively.
If only governments actually recognized this threat. They crave antagonistic encounters because it dominates the public discourse and action on climate change takes a back seat.
Yeah, I get the impression that there is a lot of wilful ignorance happening there.