US-NATO Alliance’s Undeclared War On Russia – OpEd

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The US-NATO Alliance sending warlike material and weapons to arm Ukrainian forces to stop the Russian offensive that has already seized large parts of Ukraine. However, on 28 Feb NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance was deploying parts of its combat forces and has activated defense plans on land, at sea, and in the air. Does not the recent escalation of anti-Russian stance by Washington and refusal to cooperate with Moscow on  the Ukraine crisis and the Biden administration’s refusal to implement a negotiated settlement reflects an undeclared US-NATO war against Russia  without combat soldiers on Ukraine soil so far? President Biden and other Western leaders have been repeatedly announcing that they would not send forces to Ukraine having learnt lessons from Afghanistan’s 20 years’ war.

The US-Soviet Union relations have been good till the US was able to reunite Germany (1990), break up the WARSAW pact (1991) and disintegrate the Soviet Union (Dec 1991) systematically through successfully manipulating President Gorbachev and ultimately getting him honoured with the Nobel Peace prize in 1990 for his deeds supporting the West for the future security by neglecting the Russian sensitivities. 

Mikhail Gorbachev’s Interview in 2005: “Americans have treated us without proper respect. We are a country with a tremendous history, with diplomatic experience. It is an educated country that has contributed much to science. We were ready to build a new security architecture for Europe. But after the breakup of the Soviet Union and the end of the Warsaw Pact, NATO forgot all its promises. NATO decided it would be an organization that intervenes anywhere on “humanitarian grounds.” We have by now seen interventions without any mandate or permission from the United Nations.” Clearly, the seeds of hostility that are now manifest in the present crisis between the West and Russia over Ukraine go back to gullible Gorbachev in the hands of the West The man who lost the Russian Empire to the West.”

Putin over the past decades has been trying to come to an agreement with the NATO regarding the Russian security in Europe with  the NATO continuing to expand Eastwards despite Russian protests. US-NATO expansion poses a threat to Russia by placing military bases, missile,  and combat troops on its border. NATO expansion also violates expansion agreements. For the US-NATO and its allies, it is a policy of containing Russia and retains the global dominance especially of Europe. A war is always doubly profiting for America as of now the US again wants to maintain its leadership at the expense of NATO and Europe. US hegemony and their superpower status is being challenged by a rapidly rising China. 

US wants to break away Europe from Russian economic trade linkages specifically the Russian gas, and get the entire Eurasian continent into their fold of economic dependence. Americans strongly believe that this is the only way they can maintain their hold and counter China along with their forging fresh alliances of  Quad, AUKUS partnerships and others.

Over the years large number of strategic thinkers had warned the American Administration of the likelihood of the Ukrainian Conflict but no one paid any heed and ignored the warnings:

  • Kissinger, in 2014 had warned that “to Russia, Ukraine can never be just a foreign country” and that the West therefore needs a policy that is aimed at “reconciliation” and “Ukraine should not join NATO”
  • Jack Matlock Jr, US Ambassador warned in 1997 that NATO expansion was “the most profound strategic blunder which will encourage a chain of events that could produce the most serious security threat since the collapse of the Soviet Union”.
  • Malcolm Fraser, former prime minister of Australia warned in 2014 that “the move east by NATO is provocative, unwise and a very clear signal to Russia”.
  • Former US defense secretary Bob Gates in his 2015 memoirs: “Moving so quickly to expand NATO was a mistake…Trying to bring Georgia and Ukraine into NATO was truly overreaching and an especially monumental provocation.
  • Sir Roderic Lyne, former British ambassador to Russia, warned  that “Pushing Ukraine into NATO  is stupid on every level.” He adds “if you want to start a war with Russia, that’s the best way of doing it.” 

The world was aware  that trying to get Ukraine into NATO was crossing Russia’s limit of tolerance, but now the world  holds Russia as a villain forgetting all the advises given to the US and the NATO by the well-known strategic thinkers. The atmosphere is now built to anti-Russia campaign. However, Russian invasion into Ukraine with massive destruction to property and life has to be condemned to their sibling. How can such scars and memories be forgotten by the Ukrainians for decades especially with the spirit of nationalism exhibited by the Ukrainian populace against the superior Russian Army.

In Joe Biden’s first State of the Union speech not a single word was uttered to encourage Russia and Ukraine to sit down at the negotiating table. Biden was busy blaming Russia, emphasizing Washington will step up sanctions against Moscow. For the Americans such wars are for profiteering may be the reason not putting in efforts for negotiations making good profits selling weapons and gas. The United States’ position as the top arms-producing nation in the world remains unchanged, and for now unchallenged is home to five of the world’s 10 largest defense contractors, and American companies account for 57 percent of total arms sales by the world’s 100 largest defense contractors, based on SIPRI data.

 While this shoring up of NATO under the US leadership gives a boost to American power, the consequences of this are not clear yet in terms of US-European ties in the future. For the moment Europe has come under revived American tutelage, especially in bringing to heel the Germans and scotching the French search for more strategic autonomy for Europe. The contradictions between the US and European interests, have already started re-surfacing between Germany, Hungry and the US-led NATO on Russian sanctions related to gas.

The US-led NATO wants to fight this war through its newly created proxy to entangle Russia, and it is interesting to see Russia having developed a new strong alliance with China. China is now openly challenging the US power in Asia as well as in other parts of the globe. China is now the world’s second largest economy and the biggest exporter. President Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative is the largest project of building infrastructure across the globe and through it control the economy of the concerned nation. 

Since the Russian invasion into Ukraine, Washington has been making all efforts to pull China and New Delhi into its anti-Russia united front. However, India so far has not changed its neutrality on the issue and the Indian media on ground has been showing the visuals of the devastating war destruction and is critical of the Russian offensives targeting the civilian areas.

Ukraine has become a victim of a conflict between the United States and its European allies in Europe and the. The UN has failed to intervene to prevent or end the war. But it can serve as a forum for mediation and for mobilising world opinion. Blaming the NATO furious Zelensky in a TV address said “All the people who will die starting from this day will also die because of you. Because of your weakness, because of your disunity.”The Ukrainian President in a live video address to European the Parliament; “Do prove that you are with us. Do prove that you will not let us go. Do prove that you are indeed Europeans…EU will be much stronger with us.”

Nato’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, warned that the ‘Introduction of a No-Fly Zone’ could lead to a “full-fledged war in Europe involving many more countries and causing much more human suffering”.

Signing of a Charter on Strategic Partnership between US and Ukraine which asserted America’s support for Ukraine’s right to pursue membership in the NATO which led to the hope that Ukraine would eventually join NATO was the last spark which led to Russia’s preparations for Russia’s so-called special military operation in Ukraine. Will US take the blame to initiate this war which was avoidable? Ukrainian President Zelensky got into this trap to fight the war on behalf of the West against Russia which he could have also avoided in the interest of his people and the country instead trying to be hero who stood the might of the Russians. 

Patial RC

Patial RC is a retired Infantry officer of the Indian Army and possesses unique experience of serving in active CI Ops across the country and in Sri Lanka. Patial RC is a regular writer on military and travel matters in military professional journals. The veteran is a keen mountaineer and a trekker.

One thought on “US-NATO Alliance’s Undeclared War On Russia – OpEd

  • March 11, 2022 at 4:48 am
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    Facts of the conflict is the security of Russia without a buffer, a natural concern. The American /EU’s commitment to NATO after abandonment of Warsaw pact has led to gradual alignment of East European countries towards NATO. The conflict may lead to a new alignment of China, N Kores, Russia , Pakistan , Myanmar & other countries with economic dependence on China in South East Asia ; Indo Pacific region. This could be prevented if only the present war ends at the earliest. The security of Taiwan. S.Korea, Japan, Philippines and other democracies may be endangered too. Trust deficit of US is an important issue.

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