NATO official: Russia now an adversary

[Bosonic]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — After two decades of trying to build a partnership with Russia, the NATO alliance now feels compelled to start treating Moscow as an adversary, the second-ranking official of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said Thursday.

"Clearly the Russians have declared NATO as an adversary, so we have to begin to view Russia no longer as a partner but as more of an adversary than a partner," said Alexander Vershbow, the deputy secretary-general of NATO.

In a question-and-answer session with a small group of reporters, Vershbow said Russia's annexation of Crimea and its apparent manipulation of unrest in eastern Ukraine have fundamentally changed the NATO-Russia relationship.

"In central Europe, clearly we have two different visions of what European security should be like," Vershbow, a former U.S. diplomat and former Pentagon official, said. "We still would defend the sovereignty and freedom of choice of Russia's neighbors, and Russia clearly is trying to re-impose hegemony and limit their sovereignty under the guise of a defense of the Russian world."

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/nato-official-russia-now-adversary

[Alhena]

2. So you're saying international standards we value only apply ...

to those in our little club? If a neighbor down the street keeps breaking into his next-door neighbor's house, but leaves mine alone for the time being, I still regard him as my adversary.

And incidentally, the same arguments used in Crimea would apply to Russians in Estonia, which is, in fact, a NATO member.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

5. It's interesting that the Crimea and now Estonia are mentioned...

... historically, Russia has always hungered for ice free ports for defense and trade use, which played a big part in Russia/USSR taking over both of these locations. I haven't seen much mention of these facts in the Ukrainian/Crimea threads. Perhaps this reminder will help us better understand what contributes to Putin's, "paranoia".

[jtuck004]

3. They overlook little technical details when we are running low on enemies.

We use them, kinda like Viagra, for all our patriotic men and women and their lapdogs. When there isn't a real enemy who is actively engaged in a battle against our freedoms, (excepting bankers, because they are special), it gives them a target to hate, rather than having them take their hate our on the rest of us. Also, there appears to be some money in it for some.

It's a lotta damn work to convince people, what with faking attacks and having to find friendly voices in the press (fortunately that has eased somewhat with the unemployment in the industry), vilifying people, (who are and behave much like us, so it's difficult) in any way possible, fair or foul. Because to get really EFFECTIVE hate, you have to teach it, eh?

But we think it's worth it.

[ballyhoo]

8. Man, that was good. Someone

who actually understands. I'm going to have a Russian Quaalude with lunch.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/russian-quaalude/

[Algernon Moncrieff]

4. The fear that Ukraine might join NATO likely figured into Putin's calculus

The fear of current NATO members such as Poland and Estonia that Putin might decide to re-create the 1970s probably informs NATO's attitude toward the Sov...er, I mean Russia.

Having said all of that: if Russia wasn't an adversary prior to the crisis Ukraine/Crimea, what was the purpose of NATO? Why was a cold-war era treaty organization designed to oppose the Soviet Union/Warsaw Pact necessary?

[daleo]

27. That's roughly 150 million people you condemned

There is a word for that - bigotry.

[Rhiannon12866]

28. I've been to Russia, was a little anxious about it, but the people couldn't have been nicer

I grew up during the Cold War, was told from an early age that the Russians hated us, but my grandmother asked me to join her peace group on a trip there and I couldn't say no to my grandmother. But it was not at all as I imagined, beautiful country, and the people are just like us, want the same things, and were very pleased to meet Americans. The government is another matter, but should we be blamed for Bush*?

[nyabingi]

6. Ukraine has absolutely nothing to do with NATO

but the US and EU were wanting desperately to create unrest in Ukraine (check), install pro-western leaders (check), wrest control of the Black Sea ports from Russia (oops!). Putin hasn't shown any interest in military action against the former Soviet states who decided to cast their lots with NATO, yet the American media (who do nothing but report what the government tells them) insists on creating the impression that the evil Putin has his eyes set on re-establishing the USSR.

NATO should have been dissolved, but it's real purpose is to help western elites dominate the globe economically and militarily. They are determined to start a war with Russia and China and if the American public doesn't start saying something about it, it will happen.

Now someone please explain to me why the hell Obama is still allowed to own a Nobel Peace Prize? Geesh.

[Igel]

20. Read the Russian news.

More than enough politicians refer to NATO as evil, trying to undermine Russia, as being a foe. It's been ramping up in the last year, not just since those of Russian citizenship set up shop in Crimea.

It's gotten significantly worse in the last couple of months. Cultural influences, political influences, anything that fails to adhere to a nice combination of Russian ethnicity, language, and culture as being superior, is fascism. Even having Russian no longer taught as much in schools in a neighboring country is proof of fascism.

Russians must be kept pure. Non-Russians are more than welcome to improve themselves and assimilate. Add in the militarism, and the way that the state bullies private corporations to adhere to the party line and you have a very nice description of a prior fascist state.

[JVS]

7. LOL! Tell us something from this century!

[dipsydoodle]

11. Before 2000 was the last century

[pampango]

10. Russian official: NATO is now an adversary

That is not a quote but most would not be surprised that Russia has looked at NATO as an adversary for a long time, hence the desire to keep it away from its border.

[merrily]

12. Just between us chickens, was Russia really ever not an adversary in the minds of D.C. and others?

[ballyhoo]

13. No. They will be an adversary as long

as they exist and there is world banking cartels.

[merrily]

14. Yep. Maybe longer.

I cannot remember a time during my life when Russia was not the enemy.

At some point, hatred of "the Red menace" almost in the DNA.

[ballyhoo]

18. It's entirely possible that Putin

is not the bad guy he was when he was KGB. This May Day thing was huge in meaning.

[EmilyAnne]

19. Except when you look at what Putin has done.

He's a "bad guy". Period.

[merrily]

30. Nowhere near as bad a the Sultan of Brunei, but the govt and its propaganda machines have yet to

demonize the Sultan in they way they demonized Putin and most leaders of Russia since 19o5 and Saddam Hussein--but only after Bush started his plan to go to war with Iraq.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_of_1905

I am not saying Putin and Hussein were good guys. I am saying that the US govt. and its official and unoffical propaganda machines are selective about whom they single out and why. And, please, let's not be naive. It's never been simply because a leader is a bad guy. We'll kiss the same guy and/or bow to him one year and demonize him the next. This year's ally may be next years target. And, it's almost always for reasons other than whether someone is a bad person or not.

For an example, I have never heard a host of the Olympics excoriated by the American govt and media just before and during the Olympics the way that Putin was. Maybe it happened before the Olympics in Germany just before World War II. No clue. But never that I observed and the Olympics are not always held in nations headed by Mother Teresa. And, Russia was also the only nation that ever caused us to boycott the Olympics, something we did not even do to Hitler's Germany.

I have no doubt that people and leaders in other nations have had lots of reasons to demonize our Presidents. Maybe they do not do so as publicly because most nations need us a lot more than we need them. But, they have reason.

[merrily]

29. I don't know about this May Day, but I think

an endearing Minnie Mouse could head Russia and we'd still demonize her and it.

BTW, ever wonder why our worker's day is in September and not on May 1, like the rest of the world?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day

[ballyhoo]

31. I've always wondered that, Merrily. Maybe it's

our exceptionalism. Yes, we have been trained to hate Russia.

[merrily]

32. Wonder no more. The wiki to which I linked you explains.

[jakeXT]

15. Still using your enemy's supply lines, isn't that a bit risky ?

NATO would continue using a key overland supply route through Russia for its forces in Afghanistan known as the Northern Distribution Network, which carried about 40 percent of all alliance supplies to Afghanistan in 2013. The rail route, leading from northern Afghanistan to Poland and the Baltic nations, is considered crucial because it is safer than the ambush-prone alternative route through Pakistan.

The diplomat said cooperation in equipping and training the Afghan air force in the use of Russian helicopters also would continue, as would joint efforts to fight the Afghan drugs trade.

"These are issues that are vital to both sides, so it's natural to continue working together," the official said.

In Washington, a Defense Department official said there had been no problems with Russia when it came to moving freight through the northern route since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/04/02/nato-to-keep-working-with-russia-in-afghanistan.html

[YOHABLO]

16. Why should I see the Russian People as an adversary? Republicans yes, but Russians?

[DeSwiss]

17. NATO = Adversary

- /fixed

[Xolodno]

21. guess its time...

...to get rid of the sequester!!! Only on the military portion of course...to hell with food stamps, infrastructure, etc.

*sarcasm*

[merrily]

33. I have a feeling that military, CIA, FBI, Homeland Security, NSA, Secret Service, etc. did not

suffer much from the sequester.

Few entities are better at creating loopholes in, and exceptions from, federal laws than the USG.

Also, unlike a monthly social security check or a fuel subsidy, or a food budget in a household with very low annual income, there was a lot more lard in those budgets to begin with.

As far as infrastucture, it is to laugh. Let alone necessary expansion and improvement, a lot of our damned bridges are flat out unsafe.

[imthevicar]

23. So let's get this straight,

The US using NGO's to ferment revolution (including the support of assination of protesters) of a democratically elected President is ok, but Russia using a public vote about the question on the status of Crimea is unconstitutional. Who Writes these scripts!?

[ronnie624]

34. *

[RedFury]

26. What a silly comment

NATO was formed to "protect" the EU from the former USR's exploits -- which never happened. While NATO, with this further incursion into Ukraine's inner affairs was just the latest encroachment into Russia's former territory. Trying to make them all but irrelevant in the world scene.

"Obama = Russia is "just" a regional power."

Not only has NATO clearly stepped its bounds, but whichever "brain" though it wouldn't react (mildly though effectively as it did) is yet another US Gov official that thinks "they can make their own history."

Not going to happen -- Russia is not Iraq, Afghanistan nor Syria -- put together x ten. All wars vs minor powers currently being lost (or already lost) by the all-mighty US of A. They'd do well to stop writing checks with their mouths that their asses can't cash.