Thomas Friedman Defends NATO Expansion, But In 1998, He Knew It Would Provoke War.
Thomas Friedman, In His Latest Article Defends NATO Expansion, But Understood The Dangers In 1998.
In his latest New York Times article, longtime columnist Thomas Friedman bemoaned the idea of Trump ending the war in Ukraine, saying he deserves the “Neville Chamberlain Peace Prize”, a reference to British Prime Minister in 1938, who signed an agreement with Nazi Germany, which allowed it to annex Czechoslovakia.
Among Friedman’s issues with Trump’s peace plan is the fact that, “No NATO forces could be based inside Ukraine”.
A Wall Street Journal editorial that he cites in the piece even complains that under the deal, “Ukraine would forfeit its right to join a defensive Western alliance in NATO.”
Current day Thomas Friedman laments the idea of not allowing NATO expansion into Ukraine, but back in 1998, he fully understood that it would provoke war with Russia.
In another 1998 opinion piece, Friedman spoke to George Kennan, the famous U.S. diplomat who accurately predicted that NATO expansion would provoke war.
In a 1997 piece for the New York Times, Kennan prophetically predicted that NATO expansion eastwards, “would be the most fateful error of American policy in the entire post-Cold War era,” saying it would, “be expected to inflame the nationalistic, anti-Western and militaristic tendencies in Russian opinion; to have an adverse effect on the development of Russian democracy; to restore the atmosphere of the cold war to East-West relations, and to impel Russian foreign policy in directions decidedly not to our liking”.
Kennan added that this belief, “is not only mine alone but is shared by a number of others with extensive and in most instances more recent experience in Russian matters”.
In the New York Times article by Friedman, George Kennan predicted exactly what would happen as a result of NATO expansion eastwards.
Referring to NATO expansion, Kennan told Friedman, “I think it is the beginning of a new cold war, I think the Russians will gradually react quite adversely and it will affect their policies. I think it is a tragic mistake. There was no reason for this whatsoever. No one was threatening anybody else.”
Kennan added, “Of course, there is going to be a bad reaction from Russia, and then [the NATO expanders] will say that we always told you that is how the Russians are -- but this is just wrong”.
Friedman added, “One only wonders what future historians will say … If we are unlucky, they will say, as Mr. Kennan predicts, that NATO expansion set up a situation in which NATO now has to either expand all the way to Russia’s border, triggering a new cold war”.
Friedman concludes, “As he said goodbye to me on the phone, Mr. Kennan added just one more thing: ‘This has been my life, and it pains me to see it so screwed up in the end.’”
Despite correctly saying in 1998 that NATO expansion would provoke “a bad reaction from Russia”, that the “Russians will gradually react quite adversely and it will affect their policies”, and that it would “trigger a new cold war”, Thomas Friedman now cheers on NATO expansion, and laments the possible end of the war which he correctly said would be provoked by NATO expansion.
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Elite Neocon Uni-Party crazy.
Does Thomas even remember the original idea behind NATO? Can Thomas even recite who is now in NATO that we, the United States of America, are obligated to go to war if they are attacked for any reason? Albania, Turkey, North Macedonia... Does Thomas remember we assured Gorbachev that we would not expand NATO eastward when he allowed the two Germanys to unite and join NATO? We lied. Does he remember that the Ukraine has been part of Russia since Catherine the Great won much of it from the Ottomans in 1782? It appears no. In fact it was never an independent country. When it became one it also was one of the most corrupt. Still is. Does Thomas know or remember that the last two invasions of Russia came through the Ukraine? Hitler and Napoleon. The last time one out of seven Russian's died. Think about that. Would the United States allow the CCP to enter into a military alliance with Mexico or Canada?
Does Thomas know that Russia warned that allowing Ukraine to join NATO would prompt a response? We knew, Biden knew, Nyet means Nyet. But we, the Empire sought Primacy in a world that now has three Super Powers. Russia offered a negotiated settlement three times, twice before the war and again right after. The United States and Joe Biden scuttled all three. A million people have died in another proxy war the United States has had a hand in provoking. No mention of that from Thomas. Maybe he should speak with Jens Stoltenberg for a little refresher.
Note to Thomas, there are no winners in this war we provoked. Donald Trump, not perfect, but the only leader with the presence of mind to try and end a "forever war" that many want us to actively engage. Gosh, he must be a fascist, he wants Peace. It is time to end this war.
Because he just repeats received wisdom at the time. In the 90's, it was well understood that NATO expansion is provocative. Today that is denied.