Albania and Croatia join NATO

[k-onmmunist]

Welcome to the two newest members.

Now we need to let in Ukraine and Georgia.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Ugh. Fuck Croatia, that fascist, murdering state. Funny considering that NATO countries have been arresting Croatian Army officers for quite awhile.

[The Mikado]

Welcome to the two newest members.

Now we need to let in Ukraine and Georgia.

No we don't.  I really don't want to make mutual defense promises with a tiny country with an obnoxious insistence on aggravating its much larger and more important neighbor.

[GMantis]

Welcome to the two newest members.

Now we need to let in Ukraine and Georgia.

No we don't.  I really don't want to make mutual defense promises with a tiny country with an obnoxious insistence on aggravating its much larger and more important neighbor.

And Ukraine joining is one of the easier ways of spliting the country. Not to mention that membership is opposed by 70% of the population and the two main political parties.
NATO needs to stop expanding and better yet, should be dissolved. The Cold War ended nearly 20 years ago.

[jokerman]

NATO membership should be offered to Russia, to counter its claim that it is based upon a Cold War defense paradigm.  If they refuse membership, then it'll have no grounds for complaint if we surround it NATO members.

[Psychic Octopus]

NATO membership should be offered to Russia, to counter its claim that it is based upon a Cold War defense paradigm.  If they refuse membership, then it'll have no grounds for complaint if we surround it NATO members.

Bravo! A Great Idea!



(I am not being sarcastic, by the way)

[Platypus]

Russia was offered membership, around the same timas as Poland IIRC.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

NATO membership should be offered to Russia, to counter its claim that it is based upon a Cold War defense paradigm.  If they refuse membership, then it'll have no grounds for complaint if we surround it NATO members.

Excellent idea.  I doubt they'll accept, but this will neutralize them, to an extent.  We should expand NATO as much as possible.

[Jake]

What exactly is NATO's point if not to fight Russia?

[Hatman 🍁]

How did Albania get in? that's crazy. No wonder Serbia doesn't want in, if their two worst enemies just got accepted.

[AkSaber]

I'm not enthused about more Eastern European countries joining NATO. That is something we said to the Russians we wouldn't do. They let Germany peacefully reunify and quietly left Eastern Europe because we made that assurance. Personally, I don't know why NATO wasn't dissolved when the Warsaw Pact went bye-bye.

How did Albania get in? that's crazy. No wonder Serbia doesn't want in, if their two worst enemies just got accepted.

Well that, and they were railroaded over Kosovo.

[Lunar]

NATO membership should be offered to Russia, to counter its claim that it is based upon a Cold War defense paradigm.  If they refuse membership, then it'll have no grounds for complaint if we surround it NATO members.

Russia has publicly said that it doesn't want it.

Russia's pseudo-despotic government needs a rhetorical enemy to distract the population from the corruption and justify a pervasive army.

[big bad fab]

What exactly is NATO's point if not to fight Russia?

To defend its members, that's simple.
So, it can be against North Korea, Iran, if they fire missiles inside the treaty zone.

NATO can be something else than a Cold War alliance. Its only problem now is that it's more and more difficult to coordinate so many member states and armies.

(and Croatia isn't a fascist country, please stop it; or should we say Spain is a franquist one and Finland a military autocracy ?)

[Kaine for Senate '18]

What exactly is NATO's point if not to fight Russia?

To defend the various members.  NATO was created as a Cold War organization, but it doesn't have to stay that way.  There are plenty of other threats in the world.

[GMantis]

NATO membership should be offered to Russia, to counter its claim that it is based upon a Cold War defense paradigm.  If they refuse membership, then it'll have no grounds for complaint if we surround it NATO members.

Russia has publicly said that it doesn't want it.

Russia's pseudo-despotic government needs a rhetorical enemy to distract the population from the corruption and justify a pervasive army.

Your descritption is about 20 years too late.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

(and Croatia isn't a fascist country, please stop it; or should we say Spain is a franquist one and Finland a military autocracy ?)

If former officials rom those regimes were still holding prominent positions in government, if polls showed around 45% and sometimes even an outright majority of the population were quite supportive of those regimes, and if criminals from them were openly at large "hiding" in them and they made no effort to arrest them and actually assisted in harboring them, yes, it would be a fair statement.

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[quote author=Gravity is a Choice link=topic=94487.msg1959933#msg1959933
If former officials rom those regimes were still holding prominent positions in government...
[/quote]

Manuel Fraga Iribarne.

Just sayin'.