It's far more complex than that Marv. NATO has always been deployed in a defensive manner. I know this rankles most on this list but it was never in a position to threaten Soviet forces in the Warsaw Pact. This doesn't mean the USSR was intent on conquering Western Europe at all, their deployment was in fact offensive but...shall we say...for defensive reasons. Their doctrine, as we now now since the Pact collapsed under its own weight, was to hit first in the event of a wider war, a limited nuclear one, where the Warsaw Pact was intent on destroying NATO forces in a swift, weeks look offensive and then withdraw.
NATO rearmament of course is in reaction of Russian offensive capabilities. The really, really stupid rhetoric by Putin in support of Russian "influence" over the former Warsaw Pact is a form of belligerence designed to scare the Imperialists in the EU. The Russians in fact have made about 20 threats to use nuclear weapons, all bluffs, but all designed to scare the populations of the EU. It is stupid because the result of that and the original 2014 occupation of Crimea and the subsequent war caused the populations of Finland and Sweden to become overwhelmingly pro-NATO. This was entirely Putin's fault. One wonders if Putin is a "NATO poodle" doing what Western arms manufacturers wanted him to do to increase military budgets. But I'm glad you agree that Russia is not really a threat to the EU/NATO...but the same is the other way around. NATO is even less prepared to launch a war against Russia for both the obvious military and political reasons so such rhetoric should be dismissed. Russia has for years now declared they are at "war with NATO" yet of course this against is nonsense. The fact that some EU nations, about 6 NATO countries, have supplied arms to Ukraine means simply that they want to support Ukraine against Russian aggression. No troops have been sent. No fighter squadrons, etc etc etc in support of Ukraine. "Just" the arms to kill Russian troops. Which is why the Russians haven't launched the massive air attacks suggested in these articles against European manufacturing facilities...if even the Russians can do that. Ukraine and Russia don't need a ceasefire. *They need an end to the war*. The wishful thinking that some sort of sort of fantastical mutual mass mobilization would occur on both sides is beyond fairy-tales. It is thoroughly non-materialist because so long as Russia wages war against Ukraine by forceably occupying its land, there will be no end to the Ukrainians fighting to end that occupation, chaos in the rear, notwithstanding. David -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#43625): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/43625 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/121598768/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/13617172/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
