By Peter Koenig for the Saker Blog
Once upon a time there was an organization called North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO for short. It was founded in 1949, and today consists of a group of 30 countries from Europe and North America. NATO supposedly exists to protect the people and territories of its members. Of the 30 member countries, 28 are in Europe and only two, the US and Canada, are in the Americas.
As part of NATO’s “Open Door Policy”, meaning that any country in the Euro-Atlantic area is free to join NATO if it is prepared to meet the standards and obligations of membership, contributes to the security of the Alliance, and shares NATO’s values of democracy, reform, and the rule of law. That’s part of what the NATO rules say.
Since 1949, NATO’s membership has grown from 12 to 30 countries. In 2020 NATO welcomed North Macedonia as the 30th member of the NATO Alliance.
NATO was created by the US Pentagon in close collaboration with the CIA, after WWII, under the pretext of providing “collective security against the threat posed by the Soviet Union.” So, NATO laid the groundwork for cheating the world into believing that the Soviet Union, just having lost some 30 million people in WWII and with a destroyed infrastructure – would be a threat to Europe. But Big Wonder, the deceit-media propaganda worked, as it does today with covid, and as it does most of the times, currently painting another hot war on the wall.
Fearmongering is part of the strategy. For everything. Keep people in fear and they are vulnerable for any kind of manipulation. This is an old axiom, going back even farther than the Roman Empire. And it still works. People haven’t caught on to it – yet.
When that will happen – namely that people see behind this farce, behind the Bluff, the world will change. We will suddenly – or gradually, but ever faster – realize, the power is with us, the people.
Well-off people, especially in the US and Europe, living in the cocoon of a “comfort zone” believe anything they are told by the authorities, and by extension – by the bought media. These people obey the authorities, because after all, why thinking for themselves, if you pay a government that is supposed to do the thinking for you – right? The better off they are, the better they may be enslaved – and what’s worse, they become adamant and stubborn and righteous. They behave exactly as the “authorities” want them to behave to transform society into a tyranny, still under the pretext – “we are a democracy.” And yes, as long as we go along, we are doomed.
—
NATO should have taught us a good lesson. But if it wouldn’t be for Russia and China, we would still be crawling on our knees to please NATO, not even noticing that NATO is an empty shell, has no power and all they have left is some pompous people on top and in the middle, who would love to continue just for a bit longer keeping control over Europe and – well, they would like to believe – over the rest of the world.
—–
One of the founding principles of NATO is Article 5 of its charter, which states that an armed attack on one member nation would be considered as an attack on all; insinuating a threat that NATO could start a WW if a country aggressed and provoked enough by NATO – say, the Soviet Union, now Russia, and / or China, would retaliate against NATO’s constant aggressions and provocations.
That was NATO then, and that’s what NATO would like to be today, and what they still pretend to be. But pretending is just about all they are able to muster at this point. Pretending is just another word for nothing left to lose (quote from Janis Joplin’s Bobby McG, “Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose”). That’s NATO at its worst.
For some strange reason, until very recently, Russia has remained in an observer status associated with NATO, actually it’s hard to believe, associated with the arch-enemy number one? – The only and maybe THE explanation could be that by preserving this observer status they thought they were also some kind of an insider — but, that was an illusion from day one onwards.
Although there has never been a written record found to attest that NATO promised Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s Foreign Minister, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, in 1990, not to move an inch beyond Berlin, Moscow believed the Genscher promise and that of other senior West German officials, in order to agree to the German unification. Today NATO supporters, even in German, say the only way a unified Germany could come about, was a “Germany unified in NATO”. It was a sheer lie, as none of NATO’s rules can legally negate a member country’s sovereignty. But the lie was swallowed and became the precedent-setting expansion of NATO.
—
That was then. Now is Now – 30 years later. NATO has expanded all the way to the doorsteps of Moscow. They would love to make Ukraine a NATO member, to move even closer to Moscow. One of the reasons for the “western fabricated” conflict with and in Belarus, is that toppling Lukashenko, would give the west an opportunity to put in a pro-western dictator, who eventually would open Belarus’s doors for NATO. The west is arrogantly and unrealistically dreaming. Mr. Putin and the Kremlin as whole will, of course, never allow such a move. But megalomania doesn’t see any limits.
——-
In a related note, to better understand the whereabouts and purpose of NATO, faced with increasing pressure to dissolve the five member UN Security Council, President Putin warned on October 21, 2021: “If we remove the veto right of the permanent members, the UN would die the very same day – it would turn into the League of Nations. It would simply become a discussion platform”.
It may well be that the UN Security Council with five veto votes – as fragile as it may be – may fall apart, in which case the “geniuses” behind NATO may have thought, NATO may take over the role of the UN Security Council, all in the interest of the dying western empire.
NATO was created in 1949, just after WWII, very much with the League of Nations in mind. Created in 1919, just after WWI, the League of Nations was an imperial hoax, pretending and selling its world peace interests to a WWI beaten-down world as the last and greatest hope for “lasting peace”. By now we know the real history.
—–
Fast forward. As RT aptly analyses on 25 October 2021, “NATO’s bullish new plan to fight Russia on the seas, the skies and in space could backfire, igniting a catastrophic nuclear conflict. NATO’s new strategy to fight Russia across the width of Europe – from Baltic to Black Sea – has been approved. Unsurprisingly, the details are secret, but bloc officials have confirmed it includes nuclear, cyber and space warfare.”
“As you would expect, NATO insists that this cross-continental strategy will serve only defensive purposes and the US-led group has also emphasized that it does not believe that Russian attacks are imminent. In other words, NATO presents this initiative as an act of due diligence: Preparing for the worst imaginable scenario, while helping to avoid it ever becoming a reality by deterrence, as German Minister of Defense Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has duly underlined.”
In other words, despite everything that was said and promised during Germany’s recent election campaign, to keep an open door to improve relations with Russia, is out of the window with the German Defense Minister’s statement. The “deterrence” argument is a sheer aggression towards Russia. It surely pleases NATO and much of the west’s neoliberal leadership, but certainly not a vast majority of Germans, and European citizens, who are eager to improve relations with a peaceful neighbor.
Yes, Russia is a peaceful neighbor. Russia has never aggressed anybody – other than in self-defense, i.e., beating Nazi-Germany back to Berlin in WWII. Aggression is not in Russia’s nature. This contradicts all of western mainstream media lies. But like with other lies and hoaxes, the well-being living standards of Europeans bars them from seeing the light, from even wanting to see the truth. That’s sad. As when they will see the truth, because it crushes in on them, on us Europeans, it might be too late.
—-
Of course, Moscow sees things differently – and rightly so. For the Kremlin expansion of NATO eastward has been an issue since the early 1990s, since the broken promise by German Foreign Minister Genscher – “NATO will not expand an inch towards the east”. As President Putin indicated on many occasions, there will be no expansion of NATO into Ukraine, nor into Belarus – or else. And the “else” is important, as NATO well knows.
Russia’s defense system is exponentally more efficient and more powerful and faster than that of the west. Therefore, continuing on this abysmal note, as NATO does, is not more than a bluff, and of course, an attempt to keep the west believing that NATO still has teeth, when in fact NATO is an empty shell; an empty over-stretched shell, with members, whose population would by a vast majority want to exit NATO – for whom NATO has no purpose anymore. It’s a sheer threat to peace. As the people and that’s what eventually counts – are not afraid of Russia or China.
It’s the fear-machine spreading false information – the western amply paid and ”subsidized” media – that make believe the danger is in the east. In fact, they keep building and maintaining a Manichean wall and view throughout the west. The Manichean philosophy is an old religion that breaks everything down into good or evil. It also means “duality,” so if your thinking is Manichean, you see things in black and white. And that’s precisely what the west is doing. It’s a reborn philosophy out of Washington. Massive cold war propaganda spread during the four decades after WWII throughout Europe, and by extension parts of Asia and Latin America.
NATO is spread so thinly around the globe – take the many direct or loaned military bases in the South China Sea, and surrounding China and Russia on land – some 3,000 bases – how could they be effective against the latest state of the art weaponry of Russia and China. None of the two countries are boasting with “deterrents”. They don’t need to.
They know and the west, especially Europe, should wake up to the idea – the hard reality – that the future is where the sun rises – in the East.
Peter Koenig is a geopolitical analyst and a former Senior Economist at the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), where he has worked for over 30 years on water and environment around the world. He lectures at universities in the US, Europe and South America. He writes regularly for online journals and is the author of Implosion – An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed; and co-author of Cynthia McKinney’s book “When China Sneezes: From the Coronavirus Lockdown to the Global Politico-Economic Crisis” (Clarity Press – November 1, 2020)
Peter Koenig is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization. He is also a non-resident Sr. Fellow of the Chongyang Institute of Renmin University, Beijing.
Ignoring the rules is the best way to silence nato.
I’d change the word “rules” to “dictates”. But what you said is true.
The idea of having “rules” that EVERYONE must adhere to has some merit, so long as it’s fair and agreed by all. The west/NATO does not do rules… they dictate and pressure how others must comply and submit.
From one of the William books (possibly William the Dictator?) by Richmal Crompton:
“What are you going to do for us?” asked Ginger.
“Do for you?!!”, William exploded indignantly, “I’m not going to do anything for you. I’m going to rule!”
He who rule, get struck by lightning in unusual places.
sorry to interrupt you great article Peter Koenig.
But my message is important and related to the lies conducted by NATO against Russia.
Last week, Russian president Vladimir Putin told Gazprom to start the buildup of gas inventories in Europe for the coming winter. The news of extra supply from Russia made the skyrocketing gas prices in Europe drop.
However, on Saturday, Germany’s Gascade Gas operator said that gas flows via the Yamal pipeline from Poland to the Mallnow station in Germany had stopped early on Saturday.
Gazprom said that European customers’ natural gas deliveries were being met via the Yamal pipeline running from Russia via Belarus, into Poland, and on to Germany.
A spokesman for Poland’s state-controlled PGNiG, confirmed that Poland was still receiving Gas amounts consistent with its contract with Russia, through the Yamal pipeline.
A Polish Gaz-System spokesperson also confirmed that The Yamal pipeline is delivering gas to Poland via the Kondratki station from Russia via Belarus.
So Poland has blocked Russian gas transit via the Yamal pipeline to Germany, and are now using the Yamal pipeline between Poland and Germany to also import European gas back into Poland via the Mallnow station from Germany.
Check out the following article and see for yourself how reality are manipulated in western media, to demonize Russia and to plunder the Western population via hyped up gas prices, to build up gas inventory in Poland.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/europe-edge-after-russia-halts-gas-shipments-yamal-pipeline.
Is this not similar to the game played by Ukraine when it hosted the previous gas pipeline? No wonder Gazprom wants to own Nordstream 2 (contrary to EU demand to hand over pipeline ownership and restrict Gazprom’s role to selling gas).
The basic fact of the matter is that Europe is an occupied zone and has been since the end of the war in 1945. It was firstly a zone of American occupation – excepting De Gaulle – in the west along the German-Polish Oder-Neisse line, and in 1990 extended this line to the frontiers of Russia along of most East Euro states, but particularly along the borders of the Baltics. Europe is not only occupied militarily, but also economically, and perhaps culturally – the only odd persons out seem to be Serbia. Austria, Switzerland and maybe Finland. One particularly astute commentator has written.
”In Western Europe” (and I would now – a fortiori – add in Eastern Europe) ”many have come to accept without challenge the primal role of the US over the affairs of their states and give little thought to NATO as a foundation of their security architecture. They have been raised and socialised with this as part of their world. In many instances it is not only a normal part of the status quo for them but it is also INVISIBLE for them. This is why the post-war continuation of the Atlantic Alliance has gone mostly unchallenged at a societal level in NATO member states, leaving the US to slowly consolidate its influence in each and every state.” (The Globalization of NATO) Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya
“They [well-off people] behave exactly as the “authorities” want them to behave to transform society into a tyranny, still under the pretext – “we are a democracy.” And yes, as long as we go along, we are doomed.”
I agree with the general arguments except this point. You position the ‘authorities’ as some separate organism and the ‘well-off’ as some sort of docile innocent bedazzled cohort lacking agency. I disagree.
The authorities ARE these same people protecting and projecting their self interests. What you refer to as the ‘authorities’ are simply in most cases the same spoilt children from privilaged contexts encultured by a dominance system comprising of a sequence of day-care, private schools, religious beliefs (often exceptional), clubs (of the George Carlin variety) and eventually employment perpetuating their inherited life-style formula. Some in this stream develop a working conscience and opt out — but usually at a high personal price, while many of those aspiring ‘below’ clamber remorselessly over them into those vacated opportunies.
Yes, NATO is based on lies and bluff.
I would add> Art 5 of NATO Treaty was a big problem – Acheson himself wrote about this article in his autobio. It got fiddled with, re-written to make it possible to get treaty signed, and made ambiguous. It’s limited by geography and the laws of each member. Art 5 is always mentioned along with “automatic”. It is not automatic at all – requiring members only to “think about it” and maybe do something arguably “helpful”. For example a member under art 5 might decide to contribute a few old rusty obsolete pistols, out of date ammo, or stock-up on tires.
Anyway, these good people pay little attention to law, but for what it’s worth read treaty>
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/official_texts_17120.htm
Acheson’s scribbles are worth reading between the lines.
Here is the view of Neo-Con loony-in-chief John Bolton’s crackpot ideas which have unfortunately been influential in neo-con circles since the destabilization in Ukraine and Georgia since 2014.
”Obama left Ukraine and Georgia to fed for themselves, ignoring the political-military reality that Russia instinctively understood. He thereby left open the vulnerability that Bush had tried to close in April 2008. Many who now opposed robust US efforts to protect Ukraine from Russian depredations and partition assert that we have no serious interests there, and accordingly they also reject any hint that we might once again consider NATO membership. Yet, in the long term, joining the alliance is the only strategy that can realistically secure Georgian and Ukrainian sovereignty to keep alive the option of joining the west more broadly.”
Note, that joining the Georgia and Ukraine means that their integration into the NATO automatically involved an end to their ‘sovereignty’ a policy which as has been the case throughout Europe since the latter has ceded to military control over its sovereignty since the late 1940s and later with the extension of Eastern Europe into the military structures of NATO – sovereignty has long departed.
However getting back to Bolton, even Brzezinski baulked at this proposal. Writing in the ‘American Interest’ he stated that ‘there should be clarity that the Ukraine would not be joining NATO. I think that this is important for a variety of reasons. If you look at the map, it is important for Russia from a psychological and strategic starting point of view.’
” will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.”
This is from the notorious Article 5. And the way it’s spelled it brings of few questions, which many of the politicos in the countries, which joined NATO in the last 20-25 years (including in my country) don’t seem too eager to ask:
1) where is the guarantee that the rest of NATO will use armed force, if any of the eastern european members is attacked? After all “action as it deems necessary” could also mean “let them fry in their own sauce”.
2) “security of the North Atlantic area” – how exactly countries like Poland, Romania or the baltics republics could be called “North Atlantic area”? The last time I’ve checked those are in eastern europe.
Indeed so… The rhetoric or propaganda slogan is always about an “automatic” feature…which is to say that they know article 5 is bs, but attempt to create in the population a false idea that it does mean some sort of violence is obligatory, when it does ot. Acheson was clear about this compromise – writing in his autobio.
This sort of bs rhetorical con job tells us what they are. Confidence men. Melville wrote the book, but nobody reads it.
Like the League did, they ignore their own bylaws….
Now this is funny.
As part of NATO’s “Open Door Policy”, meaning that any country in the Euro-Atlantic area is free to join NATO if it is prepared to meet the standards and obligations of membership, contributes to the security of the Alliance, and shares NATO’s values of democracy, reform, and the rule of law. That’s part of what the NATO rules say.
I guess this only applies to new members. The current members are definitely not meeting the standards and obligations of membership. Almost all of the members are failing to meet their financial obligations except very small members that have a higher degree of pucker factor.
The 1000 lb Gorilla in the Living Room that most people don’t want to admit is this: NATO is not a “defensive” alliance to begin with.
NATO is a war criminal alliance, as evidenced by their aggressive wars against Serbia, Libya, Afghanistan, or their Nazi-style big lie called the “War on Terrorism” in which nations like the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany or especially America have been sponsoring and supporting Islamicist jihadist groups … like Al-Queda and ISIS.
ISIS IS US: The Shocking Truth: Behind the Army of Terror
https://www.amazon.com/ISIS-US-Shocking-Behind-Terror/dp/1615771522
Regarding NATO’s war against Libya, here is a shocking admission for those who still delude themselves that NATO is a “force for good”:
According to the Ottawa Citizen’s David Pugliese, some Canadian military officers in private refer “to the NATO jets bombing Gadhafi’s troops as ‘al-Qaeda’s air force’.”
from: Al-Qaeda’s Air Force
https://gowans.blog/2012/02/20/al-qaedas-air-force/
Moreover, NATO is an American puppet organization.
It is designed to provide an international fig leaf for America to hide behind when it wants to bomb, invade, slaughter, or subjugate yet another nation.
The first NATO Supremo, Lord Ismay, even once boasted that NATO was designed to “keep the Soviet Union out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.”
In short,
NATO=North American Terrorist Organization.
Pardon me for being a stupid old fool, but seems to me that the RF is working with nato’s thanksgiving Turkey in Syria to keep that sad place weak for Israel + pretty sure that those nice Chinese folks will do business anywhere there is money in it, but this old fool could be wrong…. about them inviting the wall st bankers in to do you know, biz
As Judge Judy always refers, ‘there’s no fool like an old fool’.
However, in your case, you’re not too far off the mark.
Russia sits down quarterly with the Zionist Regime to advise them what they’ll tolerate in Syria.
Pitiful really, as Peter, the author of this tidbit states that ‘an attack on one is an attack on all’ for ZATO. We’ll shouldn’t Russia reciprocate this with the weekly attacks from the Zionist Regime on Syria?
Remember, yes, Russia are protecting their strategic warm port, able to test their new kinetics/weaponry on the battlefield and for sure have access to prime Oil Fields; all together alleviating the burden/expense.
Iran on the other hand will shed its blood/wealth freely for its Allies, nae Brotherhood.
IMO, Putin wants his cake and to eat it too. Yes, both he and Russia are a blessing on many Fronts against EVIL, however, why has no one asked him on all these discussion forums as to why he allows the Rabid Zionists carte blanche in attacking Syria or Syria’s brothers.
Why has no-one asked him? Let me ask you. Is Russia at war with Israel? No, they are not.
People need to figure out once and for all why Russia is in Syria. It does not make me happy but it is the truth. They are there to help Syria get rid of ISIS and similar. No more, no less. They are not at war with anyone in the region.
Well they should be as it’s the Dual Americanos & Zionists who are sanctioning them as well as causing the merde in their backyard.
First rule in Art of War – know thy enemy.
so who is this ‘enemy’ according to you?
you hv read the Whole Art of War and not from yt right?
enlighten us!! YaY!
And the 2nd rule of 21st century conflict-economics is: “… an endless war, not a successful war” (WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange). Why would anyone think the Russians are any different? Syrian dependance on Russia has strategic value on the south side of Turkey and its Bosphorus/Strait of Istanbul options. That strip of land between Turkey and Egypt has been forever between the geopolitical gas and break peddles. Not surprising their religions and worldviews reflect the deep historical trauma.
Amarynth
Russia knows extremely well that Israel is funding ISIS. There have been media comments about IDF men leading ISIS units within Syria and Iraq.
…but that is neither the issue.
It has far more to do with the powerful Jewish diaspora within Russia. So certainly, Russia ‘is in Syria to get rid of ISIS’ but also has to tolerate some compromises, to keep the jewish disapora within Russia quiet – even whilst knowing well that Israel keeps adding more fuel to the fire.with the encouragement of the jewish diapora / baptist support within the USA….
So technically Russia is certainly ‘at war’ with Israel, to parry the provocations, as Russia does want to preserve the sovereignty of both Syria and Israel….
Bobby McGee was written by Kris Kristofferson (not Janis Joplin)
Kris Kristofferson wrote the song but Janis Joplin owns it!
Peter Koenig always produces thought-producing perspectives. He’s right about this subject matter.
Perhaps in another article he will explain how and why the US Hegemon and its financial centers is showing cracks in the system.
It is beginning to decay for a number of reasons:
1. Currently, Wall Street and all who are tightly connected to it, are in a state of great flurry while they continue to commit suspect “leveraged loans,” pursuing “collaterized bonds and the spikes in repo rates. Similarly, The Fed is purposely pouring billions of $$$ into these financial institutions who are deeply in debt. The shady games they’ve played even before the Financial Crash of 07-08, are finally catching up with them.
In the turbulence of this maelstrom, maintaining naval, army bases are no longer a high priority. Nor is confronting Russia, or China from a military standpoint.
It’s becoming increasing clear that the USA can choose only one of two options: spend on the common good, or spend on the military. In other words: save the country and become a halfway decent world neighbor, or accelerate the impoverishment of the people and throw massively increasing sums of borrowed money into corporate boondoggles disguised as weaponry.
I have no doubt whatsoever that the USA will continue to choose to spend on the military, in fact to continue giving the military more than it asks for.
me and bobby mcgee was actually written by krist kristofferson
First of all, I’d very much like to congratulate Mr. Koenig for his coherent reason and excellent information upon which he develops his point, and will once again greet Mr. Raesky for his outstanding work here.
I consider the core point of this article the fundamental recognition of the peaceful nature of russian neighborhood. The few russians I ever knew (and know) always regret that everything they sure believe their country wants is take on its own life it’s way (obviously) and do not want to mingle in anybody’s troubles, much less spends a single penny on it. Therefore, I believe this change of mindset is the main goal the anti-war “party” as I would call us should start propagandizing it. I am sure this will be very very hard because it will face the full-blown fury of the AngloZionist empire but nevertheless I think we may start just following Mr Koenig example. As Mao used to say, a long journey starts with a small step. And there’s a song called “prelúdio” (prelude) of one outstanding brazilian alt-rock scenario named Raul Seixas that said “sonho que se sonha só, é só um sonho que se sonha só; mas sonho que se sonha junto é realidade” or “a dream dreamt alone is just a dream dreamt alone but a dream dreamt together comes true”.
“Yes, Russia is a peaceful neighbor. Russia has never aggressed anybody – other than in self-defense, i.e., beating Nazi-Germany back to Berlin in WWII. Aggression is not in Russia’s nature. ”
That may be correct today, but let’s not white the past – interbellic times – Poland – Russia war anyone? Findland? Dual German – Russian attack on Poland in the 2nd world war? Were those wars “in self defense”?