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This is laughable on the same level as Putin when he denied that Russian troops are in Crimea. "These are just some people who bought their uniforms in the mil

This is laughable on the same level as Putin when he denied that Russian troops are in Crimea. "These are just some people who bought their uniforms in the military store" "That was not a NATO operation but an operation carried out by NATO countries" Meanwhile for the whole world, NATO has waged war in Iraq. Yugoslavia before that. Lybia after that.

jcranmer 4y ago
I find it funny that you managed to omit the only time NATO ever initiated an invasion in response to Article 5 from that list (Afghanistan).
watwut 4y ago
Out of NATO, British and Polish soldiers participated during the invasion phase. It was not NATO invasion by any reasonable definition.
- lnxg33k1 4y ago
  And Italy, and Czechia, poor us italians, we were told after Nassiriya that our sacrifice would not have been forgotten, now we don't even get quoted in the occupants list
ineedasername 4y ago
There were roughly 50 countries in the coalition, but only about 20% were NATO members, and those only represented about half of the actual NATO members at the time. It was an ill-conceived conflict yes, but not an actual NATO conflict. In fact the lack of support from key NATO allies led to a very acrimonious relationship with founding NATO members that did not participate. To characterize Iraq military operations as a NATO operation in the face of these facts is simply ridiculous, especially when the actual contributions by NATO members that did join the coalition, with the possible exception of the UK, were very small. (Though their soldiers should still be honored for their willingness to serve and sacrifices made) It was not approved by NATO and if the US had officially sought Article 5 support for the conflict it very well may have been denied, a likely reason why they didn't invoke it to avoid embarrassment. After the country fell to US & coalition forces, only then did NATO send humanitarian assistance & resources to help rebuild, and they were strictly limited in scope. The Iraq invasion was no more a NATO operation than the Suez Crisis was, with both giving their countries black eyes on reputation and credibility. As for the other conflicts you mention, NATO's intervention with Yugoslavia was brutal & likely excessive, but it did stop a genocide in its tracks. It's rightfully criticized for its methods but it's difficult to fault their involvement itself. Libya on the other hand I agree was a complete mess. Regardless, none of that justifies Russia's own actions.

jcranmer 4y ago

I find it funny that you managed to omit the only time NATO ever initiated an invasion in response to Article 5 from that list (Afghanistan).

watwut 4y ago

Out of NATO, British and Polish soldiers participated during the invasion phase. It was not NATO invasion by any reasonable definition.

lnxg33k1 4y ago
And Italy, and Czechia, poor us italians, we were told after Nassiriya that our sacrifice would not have been forgotten, now we don't even get quoted in the occupants list

ineedasername 4y ago

There were roughly 50 countries in the coalition, but only about 20% were NATO members, and those only represented about half of the actual NATO members at the time. It was an ill-conceived conflict yes, but not an actual NATO conflict. In fact the lack of support from key NATO allies led to a very acrimonious relationship with founding NATO members that did not participate. To characterize Iraq military operations as a NATO operation in the face of these facts is simply ridiculous, especially when the actual contributions by NATO members that did join the coalition, with the possible exception of the UK, were very small. (Though their soldiers should still be honored for their willingness to serve and sacrifices made) It was not approved by NATO and if the US had officially sought Article 5 support for the conflict it very well may have been denied, a likely reason why they didn't invoke it to avoid embarrassment. After the country fell to US & coalition forces, only then did NATO send humanitarian assistance & resources to help rebuild, and they were strictly limited in scope. The Iraq invasion was no more a NATO operation than the Suez Crisis was, with both giving their countries black eyes on reputation and credibility. As for the other conflicts you mention, NATO's intervention with Yugoslavia was brutal & likely excessive, but it did stop a genocide in its tracks. It's rightfully criticized for its methods but it's difficult to fault their involvement itself. Libya on the other hand I agree was a complete mess. Regardless, none of that justifies Russia's own actions.