Only under the NATO umbrella is Ukraine safe
Monday, September 8
The Russian aggression against Georgia has caused such widespread concern because it could be repeated against any other country. The first target of any future aggression, as many have stated, will probably be Ukraine. The best way to avoid this would be if Ukraine joined NATO immediately.
The situation in the Ukraine is slowly being aggravated, not without Russia’s covert interference. Russian passports are being secretly distributed among the pro-Russian population. We are informed of this frequently. The Russian “fifth column” has become increasingly active, and is liable at any moment to trigger civil confrontation in which “the big brother will come to the rescue of the smaller.” In Georgia, we now know exactly what this will mean.
At the moment Russia, facing the threat of US and EU sanctions, is pretending to have become more rational. Putin has stated that his country does not want another Cold War and will not create problems with its natural gas deliveries to Europe. He assures the world that the Georgian adventure was not part of some global policy but a one off event targeted against Saakashvili and his regime, as if this is internationally acceptable. Of course neither the US nor EU wants another Cold War either, or any further complications. So they are prepared to conduct a dialogue with the monster and try to negotiate civilized terms for calming this acute confrontation.
It looks as if once again the civilized world is being cheated by Moscow. The leader of the so-called Eurasian movement, Alexander Dugin, has told the L.A. Times that Russia needs some ten years to stand more firmly on its feet. However, despite the fact that Ukraine’s internal politics are not a suitable sphere for Russian involvement, the current crisis there could aggravate further and Russian direct or indirect involvement is possible even in the near future while the Kremlin still basks in the euphoria of victory. In fact Dugin has threatened as much, saying that Russia would support if needed the eastern regions of Ukraine and the Crimea. Dugin is not a decision maker, he is like the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Zhirinovsky the king’s fool, who says the things the king does not want to say while the king waits for the reaction. If the reaction to Dugin’s statements is negligence his idle words could well become the world’s urgent reality.
A refusal of Ukraine’s immediate accession to NATO would help accelerate the negative processes already taking place in that country. Many in Georgia think that denying Georgia its hoped-for MAP at the Bucharest summit encouraged Russia to attack Georgia. The same could equally prove true in Ukraine. NATO should show it wishes to defend Ukraine by bypassing the MAP and invitation procedures and taking the extraordinary step of immediately receiving Ukraine as a member.
This action would have many positive results. The internal situation in the country would be stabilized, Ukraine would avoid any possible Russian aggression and the Kremlin would receive a decisive, serious and strong response to its stated ambitions. Its plans to restore the Russian Empire will be frustrated and at long last Russia will be punished.
The situation in the Ukraine is slowly being aggravated, not without Russia’s covert interference. Russian passports are being secretly distributed among the pro-Russian population. We are informed of this frequently. The Russian “fifth column” has become increasingly active, and is liable at any moment to trigger civil confrontation in which “the big brother will come to the rescue of the smaller.” In Georgia, we now know exactly what this will mean.
At the moment Russia, facing the threat of US and EU sanctions, is pretending to have become more rational. Putin has stated that his country does not want another Cold War and will not create problems with its natural gas deliveries to Europe. He assures the world that the Georgian adventure was not part of some global policy but a one off event targeted against Saakashvili and his regime, as if this is internationally acceptable. Of course neither the US nor EU wants another Cold War either, or any further complications. So they are prepared to conduct a dialogue with the monster and try to negotiate civilized terms for calming this acute confrontation.
It looks as if once again the civilized world is being cheated by Moscow. The leader of the so-called Eurasian movement, Alexander Dugin, has told the L.A. Times that Russia needs some ten years to stand more firmly on its feet. However, despite the fact that Ukraine’s internal politics are not a suitable sphere for Russian involvement, the current crisis there could aggravate further and Russian direct or indirect involvement is possible even in the near future while the Kremlin still basks in the euphoria of victory. In fact Dugin has threatened as much, saying that Russia would support if needed the eastern regions of Ukraine and the Crimea. Dugin is not a decision maker, he is like the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Zhirinovsky the king’s fool, who says the things the king does not want to say while the king waits for the reaction. If the reaction to Dugin’s statements is negligence his idle words could well become the world’s urgent reality.
A refusal of Ukraine’s immediate accession to NATO would help accelerate the negative processes already taking place in that country. Many in Georgia think that denying Georgia its hoped-for MAP at the Bucharest summit encouraged Russia to attack Georgia. The same could equally prove true in Ukraine. NATO should show it wishes to defend Ukraine by bypassing the MAP and invitation procedures and taking the extraordinary step of immediately receiving Ukraine as a member.
This action would have many positive results. The internal situation in the country would be stabilized, Ukraine would avoid any possible Russian aggression and the Kremlin would receive a decisive, serious and strong response to its stated ambitions. Its plans to restore the Russian Empire will be frustrated and at long last Russia will be punished.