Thus, it has always been. NATO was created in 1949 to secure US power in Western Europe, and its relentless expansion since 1990’s has seen it expand its power right across Europe.
As Eisenhower said in 1954, “We keep the security forces to defend a way of life”.
Make no mistake that “way of life” looks distinctly American, including ideologically driven privatisation and structural readjustments to make the target country US business friendly. Crucially, from World War II to the present the US economy has been built on its massive, but largely privatised, military industrial complex.
The Ukrainian war has been a godsend to defence industries across the Western world, especially the US. The disastrous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had given war a bad rep, but thanks to the brave Ukrainians, militarist triumphalism is back in fashion.
The evil talismans of “appeasement” and “Hitler” can be bandied about to hammer all opposition to the war. Calls for a ceasefire and negotiations are shouted down with accusations of being Putin’s “useful idiots” and anti-democratic even.
Failure to give fulsome voice in favour of victory for Ukraine has been deemed unpatriotic in our own country. We have even trained some 10,000 Ukrainian troops in the UK!
We, and the rest of NATO, are at war with Russia. When did we express our democratic will to go to war with Russia?
This war cannot end with victory or defeat for either side, NATO or Russia. Given the level of carnage in Ukraine, it is safe to say they have already lost. However, no-one in their right mind wants to see a nuclear armed state go down in flames.
James Derieg
Kemble
