This oped looks at the Western narrative on Russia. It traces history of NATO’s continued expansion – swelling from 12 to 32 countries in December 2024 – and recalls that western audiences have been told that Russia invaded Ukraine exclusively because of its imperialistic ambitions, without explaining how a litany of actions by NATO countries – including cooption of Baltic States – and the plans to adopt Ukraine as full member provoked Russia to move in self-defense and neutralize the emerging threat next door.
On April 4, 1949, the newly formed North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), represented by delegates from the US, Canada, and ten European countries, signed a collective security pact. Four years after the end of a war that killed thirty-nine million Europeans, the twelve nations negotiated an all-for-one, one-for-all agreement with the declared intention to check Soviet expansion, bolster Europe’s defenses, and prevent German remilitarization.
Many Western leaders, such as President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, say NATO expansion, including membership for Ukraine, is vital to Europe’s collective security. But an ever-growing NATO—spearheaded. Is this a sane argument?
The dissolution of the USSR, and the end of the Cold War, NATO, like nearly all national security/defense programs, did not end. It grew. In 1949 there were 12 NATO member nations and now there are 32. The latest members, Finland and Sweden, joined, respectively, in 2023 and 2024. With the end of the cold war and the demise of the Soviet threat, NATO searched for new rationales for its existence.
NATO, in its own mind won the Cold war that they believed they did it single handedly.
As the collapse of the Soviet Union appeared imminent in 1991, the United States and their NATO allies grew concerned of the risk of nuclear weapons held in the Soviet republics falling into enemy hands.
Both for the U.S and NATO these weapons were the imminent danger. As the Soviet empire collapsed, it became clear that an emergency was dangerously close. 30,000 nuclear weapons and a vast weapons production complex were spread over four sovereign states (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine).
The U.S and NATO came up with Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program initiated by the Nunn–Lugar Act. The crux of the CTR was to defang most of Russian strategic weapons but similar weapons the U.S and NATO went unscathed. This process began in 1991 by 2017 it had achieved most of its defined parameters.
Notable measures taken under CTR that sole effect on Russian military:
- Destroyed 2531 ICBM submarine launched ballistic missiles, air launch surface to air missiles thereby deactivating 7616 associated warheads including all the missiles and the warheads located in the former Soviet Republic of Belarus Kazakhstan and Ukraine
- Decommissioned more than 1300 delivery systems (open silos, mobile launchers submarines and strategic bombers)
- Destroyed over 4700 tons of chemical weapons and agents operating in Albania, Libya Russia and Syria.
- The primary objective of the original CTR program was to consolidate secure eliminate materials and infrastructure in the former Soviet Republic.
It should be noted in 2009, with Pakistan being part Enhanced Partnership Act of 2009, it was yet another sequel target Pakistan’s strategic nuclear and missiles facilities/capabilities. At this juncture it should be noted that Pakistan is still facing these extraordinary discriminatory actions initiated by the U.S and NATO as proved in December of 2024 speech by US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finerand eventual implementation of Executive Order (E.O.) 13382.
NATO, wanted to ensure that its sphere of control is all over Europe. This was proven with the fact bombing of Serbia (970 days), Kosovo, during the Bosnia war in the 90’s. NATO did not have the backing of a Chapter VII UN Security Council resolution to use force in Yugoslavia. Nor did NATO claim the right of collective self-defense. Aside from the moral dilemma there was no legal justification of the bombing.
On May 7, 1999, during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (Operation Allied Force), five U.S. Joint Direct Attack Munition guided bombs (JDAM) hit the People’s Republic of China embassy in Belgrade, killing three Chinese journalists of state-owned media and outraging the Chinese public. According to the U.S. government, the intention had been to bomb the nearby Yugoslav Federal Directorate for Supply and Procurement (FDSP). President Bill Clinton apologized for the bombing, stating it was an accident. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director George Tenet testified before a congressional committee that the bombing was the only one in the campaign organized and directed by his agency, and that the CIA had identified the wrong coordinates for a Yugoslav military target on the same street. The Chinese government issued a statement on the day of the bombing, calling it a “barbarian act day”
On 17 March 2011 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1973 authorizing member states to impose a no-fly zone over Libya. However, NATO diverged its mandate and start bombing the Libyan President’s Qaddafi position, while intentionally supporting the rebels who were almost defeated.
In a similar fashion Russia vetoed—to block a draft Security Council resolution (S/2016/846) against creating a Allied forces (NATO and U.S) led no-fly-zone over Syria.
These perpetual ingress by NATO to expand its sphere has been an egregious violation of international laws, agreements and norms. It gives a cloudy outlook and more pre-colonist mind set.
The Kremlin’s decision to invade Ukraine has been primarily driven by the threat of NATO’s expansion along Russia’s border. Its strategic objective is to annex some Ukrainian territory and badly weaken the country so it cannot join NATO. Ukraine is the first major war in Europe since World War Two and Russia was clearly the aggressor. Moreover, the widespread view in the West that Russia took up arms exclusively because of its imperialistic ambitions, not because of anything the United States and its allies did, including NATO expansion. This is known western propaganda to belittle a sovereign country while demonizing its leadership as uncivilized and corrupt. Being selective yes, compare the actions of the Jewish Zionist state of Israel (an EU associate member) with its genocidal policies and mind set.
Despite dissolution of Warsaw Pact, assurances of no expansion, NATO did swell to 32 from 12 nations, with all relevant details?
With President Trump in the White House, he has clearly stated what his intentions are in for Europe, Russia and Ukraine. It would be wise for NATO to have a non-aggression pact with Russia. The issue here is that NATO have a habit to break most of the treaties and agreements post 1991. Their approach to international agreement and treaties is that of Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, that Hitler broke. It was none other than former U.S Secy of State James Baker’s statement famous “not one inch eastward” assurance about NATO expansion. Well from 12 countries to 32 exhibits the intentions of NATO. A wiser policy for peace, have advocated for decades, is to abandon efforts to expand NATO, resume the withdrawal of US troops from Germany, and let Europe take the lead in its own defense.
As supreme allied commander, Eisenhower had always insisted that NATO’s mission was to preserve the peace and avert war. “No lesser purpose, no warped nationalism, and above all, no aggressive or predatory design,” he said, “should be allowed to turn us away from this noble enterprise.”
