There are many in
Grand County who have more than a passing interest in what happens to NATO. They still have family in eastern European
countries that are current members of NATO and were once Soviet satellites. Lithuanians and Poles have settled here and have become respected
members of our community. Those countries belong to NATO. Other Eastern European settlers in Grand
County from countries not in NATO are Russians and Moldovans.
Lithuanians,
Latvians, and Estonians (the three Baltic States) and Poles in particular must
be looking at alarming statements from Donald Trump for his comments that “We
don’t really need NATO in its current form. NATO is obsolete…if we have to
walk, we walk.” Many look with raised eyebrows at the sometimes called “bromance” with Russian
President Vladimir Putin. Putin called Trump "a
brighter person, talented without a doubt." Putin reiterated has
admiration of Donald Trump June 19 on Fareed Zakaria ‘s CNN program, as well as
asking why the West still needs NATO.
Trump’s public
assertion that not only is NATO obsolete, but their members are not living up
to their promises to contribute. There is far more at stake than money.
Russia is on the
march in a seeming attempt to reassemble former Soviet satellites , restoring
past glories. Russians also resent and
fear their former neighboring buffer
states becoming NATO members and permitting missile defense installations (even
if the defense systems are turned toward the Middle East) . Their grabbing or helping surrogates grab parts
of non NATO members of Georgia, the Crimea and eastern Ukraine has been seen as
a threat in particular to the NATO member Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia,
and Estonia. NATO was quick to move more
forces to the Baltics in response as a warning to Russia not to mess with
members of NATO. Without NATO, the small Baltic states in particular would be
vulnerable to a Crimea and Ukraine like grabs, making Poland and Romania
especially at risk. In his June CNN comments, Putin slyly ignored Russia’s land
grabs which would have answered his question of Why NATO?
There may not be a
conspiracy involved, just a case of Trump’s ignorance or isolationist advocacy
or wanting to make a deal with Russia, but there is an interesting connection with
his most inner advisor. It is his campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, who was a political consultant
to once president of the Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych.
Yanukovych was attempting to stop some in his country who wanted greater trade
ties with the West, while he was closely connected to Russia and wanted his country to be more connected to
them. A revolution followed in 2014.
During that revolution, Yanukovych fled first to the eastern Ukraine and
now resides in exile in Russia.
Many in the United
States’ foreign relations community on both sides of the aisle look at Donald Trump’s foreign policy with
alarm. A particularly large howl was
raised in a March open letter by 121 GOP national security leaders. George W Bush’s secretary of State, Richard
Armitage, announced this month June,2016, he would
vote for Hillary Clinton.
http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/06/16/richard-armitage-plans-vote-hillary-clinton/he
would vote for Hillary Clinton.
policy/
http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/06/16/richard-armitage-plans-vote-hillary-clinton/
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