3 ms·

If the cold war did end, why didn't NATO dissolve as well? It was born exactly to contain the USSR! Instead NATO kept expanding east...

LtWorf 4y ago
So USA can force europeans to buy their fighter jets.
wahern 4y ago
> NATO kept expanding east You make it sound like NATO was unilaterally pushing for this. Eastern European countries were begging to join NATO. All of them had been independent multiple times over the centuries, always ending up under Russian control. NATO offered a plausible mechanism to end the historical cycle--an historical cycle for which Russia, in 2022, is proudly nostalgic and not afraid to go to war to continue. Moreover, national security is expensive, especially for small countries who cannot benefit from scale--they need to spend much more for even minimal deterrence. For newly independent nations, NATO provides leverage for their security expenditures. More importantly, it also motivates peaceful resolution of conflict among neighboring NATO states, which makes NATO a keystone institution for peace in Europe, Russia notwithstanding.
- sbaiddn 4y ago
  What US interests are served (thats all of NATO, really) antagonizing Russia over Latvia? And NATO's "peaceful resolution" of European conflict is bunk - ask the Cypriots or the Greeks how NATO tampers Turkish ambitions.
  - qwytw 4y ago
    What British and France interests were served when they agreed to sign an alliance with Poland and even went to war with Germany over it (eventually)? It's the same basically, except that this time, I hope, the alliance is more credible and Russia is not willing to test it. There are plenty of economical and political reasons due to which is it beneficial to keep Latvia and by extension the entirety of Eastern Europe outside of direct or indirect Russian control. Ukraine is a pretty good example of a country which was mostly ignored both by NATO and the EU so as not to antagonize Russia. It remained a failed state until 2014 and I assume we all know what happened afterwards.
wiseowise 4y ago
> Instead NATO kept expanding east... You mean Eastern countries wanted to join NATO.
- pastacacioepepe 4y ago
  Not how it works. NATO is invite only.
  - ptr 4y ago
    Sweden and Finland asked to join NATO as a response to the Russian aggression. NATO then invited Sweden and Finland.
  - wiseowise 4y ago
    So is Ivy League for the rest of the world. That doesn’t stop millions from wanting to join it.

LtWorf 4y ago

So USA can force europeans to buy their fighter jets.

wahern 4y ago

> NATO kept expanding east You make it sound like NATO was unilaterally pushing for this. Eastern European countries were begging to join NATO. All of them had been independent multiple times over the centuries, always ending up under Russian control. NATO offered a plausible mechanism to end the historical cycle--an historical cycle for which Russia, in 2022, is proudly nostalgic and not afraid to go to war to continue. Moreover, national security is expensive, especially for small countries who cannot benefit from scale--they need to spend much more for even minimal deterrence. For newly independent nations, NATO provides leverage for their security expenditures. More importantly, it also motivates peaceful resolution of conflict among neighboring NATO states, which makes NATO a keystone institution for peace in Europe, Russia notwithstanding.

sbaiddn 4y ago
What US interests are served (thats all of NATO, really) antagonizing Russia over Latvia? And NATO's "peaceful resolution" of European conflict is bunk - ask the Cypriots or the Greeks how NATO tampers Turkish ambitions.
- qwytw 4y ago
  What British and France interests were served when they agreed to sign an alliance with Poland and even went to war with Germany over it (eventually)? It's the same basically, except that this time, I hope, the alliance is more credible and Russia is not willing to test it. There are plenty of economical and political reasons due to which is it beneficial to keep Latvia and by extension the entirety of Eastern Europe outside of direct or indirect Russian control. Ukraine is a pretty good example of a country which was mostly ignored both by NATO and the EU so as not to antagonize Russia. It remained a failed state until 2014 and I assume we all know what happened afterwards.

wiseowise 4y ago

> Instead NATO kept expanding east... You mean Eastern countries wanted to join NATO.

pastacacioepepe 4y ago
Not how it works. NATO is invite only.
- ptr 4y ago
  Sweden and Finland asked to join NATO as a response to the Russian aggression. NATO then invited Sweden and Finland.
- wiseowise 4y ago
  So is Ivy League for the rest of the world. That doesn’t stop millions from wanting to join it.