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| Macron hinders NATO expansion |
| 2023-07-16 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Petr Akopov [RIA] "No matter what anyone says, geography is stubborn. The Indo-Pacific region is not the North Atlantic. <…> NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization." This is not a quote from a school geography lesson - this is how French President Macron justified his opposition to the idea of ​​​​locating a NATO office in Tokyo: "NATO should have security partners in the Indo-Pacific region, Africa, the Middle East. But the alliance is the North Atlantic Organization, this is geography, whatever one may say. We should not contribute to the impression that NATO is somehow trying to legally justify its physical presence in other regions of the world.<…> The Alliance should not try to expand the "space of struggle", because for this now is not the time." In the final resolution of the Vilnius summit of the alliance, there was no mention of the upcoming opening of an office in Japan , although it was in the draft, because France and some other countries were against it. But the Japanese Prime Minister Kishida, who specially arrived as a guest at the summit in Vilnius , was not upset: the differences in the alliance on this issue were well known, and NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said that discussions on opening an office would continue and, in general, the alliance had no more close partner than Japan. Kishida and Stoltenberg have signed a NATO-Japan partnership program to deepen cooperation in 16 areas, from maritime security to cyberspace. The same document states: Russiaand China are trying to undermine the existing international order, which echoes the statements of the NATO summit communique, which called Russia a "threat" and China "challenging the interests and security of the alliance." Naturally, in Moscow and Beijing , everything that is happening is perceived as a creeping, gradual expansion of NATO to the east, and not only to the whole of Eastern Europe, but also to East Asia - with the transformation of the alliance from the Atlantic into the global one. And all the attempts of Europeans and Americans to deny such plans do not convince anyone - their deeds speak about it. Of course, the Anglo-Saxons are the main engine of the creeping expansion, which is worth at least the already created American-British-Australian AUKUS. Can France and other European powers stop this process? No, the most they can do is slow him down. Moreover, their motive is now clear: NATO's too close cooperation with Japan (as well as South Korea ) is a frank challenge to China. The European countries of NATO, although they have become even more dependent on the Americans in the past year and a half, still expect to refrain from a break, and even more so from a confrontation with China, therefore they are trying to deal with Beijing as if they were first and foremost members of the European Union, and already the second is NATO. The toughening of NATO's rhetoric against the PRC - as happened at the Vilnius summit - the Europeans are trying to mitigate by bilateral contacts with Beijing. Paris , Berlin , RomeYes, and others in every possible way convince the Chinese leadership that they are interested in maintaining trade and economic partnership, and in Beijing they agree: versatile ties are beneficial for both sides. But at the same time, Europeans are constantly reminded that they are expected to be independent, and it is clear that here we are talking not only about the economic sphere (for example, the ability of Europe torefrain from joining the American sanctions pressure on China), but also about political, geopolitical, military. Macron and other European leaders may for some time assure Xi Jinping that they are capable of separating economics from geopolitics and even influencing NATO - this is exactly what statements like those made by the French president in Vilnius are needed for. But in reality, none of the Europeans is capable of exerting a serious influence on the strategy and tactics of NATO, that is, the Anglo-Saxons. Just for now Washingtonsatisfied with the neat expansion of the alliance's cooperation with Japan, and he does not insist too much on formalizing it in the form of offices and other things. In addition, the States understand that Europe is already so worried about the growth of its dependence on them because of the Ukrainian conflict, why put even more pressure on the Europeans because of the Pacific region. Therefore, the United States will wait with the formalization of a closer cooperation alliance with Japan, while continuing to demand from the Europeans both an increase in bilateral military ties with Tokyo and a greater presence in the Indo-Pacific region. Even German warships have already plowed the South China Sea , and even France, with its military bases in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, will not be able to sit on the sidelines at all. Unless, of course, the French choose the path of returning real sovereignty and defending their own national interests - until the moment when, in addition to a break with Russia, they will also be led to a break with China. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #2 Dopey makes a strong argument that Mow and Schemp are stooges not dwarves. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2023-07-16 17:17 |
| #1 But the alliance is the North Atlantic Organization, this is geography, whatever one may say. We should not contribute to the impression that NATO is somehow trying to legally justify its physical presence in other regions of the world.<…> The Alliance should not try to expand the "space of struggle", because for this now is not the time." So what are you doing in Ukraine? |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2023-07-16 16:18 |