As NATO trumpeted its military prowess in the Baltic minnow, Russia undertook some quiet, "rational" diplomacy with a far more important neighbour, signing a deal on gas supplies and the future of the Russian naval base in Sevastopol. In exchange for a 30 per cent discount on Russian gas deliveries, Ukraine will allow the Russian Black Sea Fleet to remain in Crimea and will not join NATO until at least 2042, a "political-strategic" victory, said Volodymyr Fesenko, the head of the Penta Centre for Applied Political Studies in Kiev. "Russia not only preserves a military presence in the Black Sea basin and on Ukrainian territory, but also has a factor of influence on external security policy and internal affairs in Ukraine." Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich said that Ukraine would receive from Russia "a real investment of resources, specifically gas, of around $40 billion dollars" over the next ten years.
Russia heals wounds while NATO is signing its own death warrant with its current hubris. The people of Europe, as opposed to their compliant politicians, want to be nuclear-free, just as they want their troops out of Afghanistan or wherever, and at some point will have their say. The Dutch government already collapsed on the issue. Estonians, still in their honeymoon stage with NATO, fete their Euro-warriors and willingly send their handful of troops to kill Afghans, but their more blase cousins the Finns have recently joined the Euro-majority in wanting their troops out either immediately or within the year. Their mutual WWII foe, Germany, is even less enthusiastic, with 62 per cent wanting out. Their mutual WWII ally, Britain, is even less so, with 77 per cent wanting out.
A recent memo from the CIA -- which has nothing to do with NATO, of course -- targets France and Germany to shore up public support using propaganda about drugs, terrorism and women's rights. But the best-laid plans of mice and men go oft awry.Next Page 1 | 2
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Eric writes for Al-Ahram Weekly and PressTV. He specializes in Russian and Eurasian affairs. His "Postmodern Imperialism: Geopolitics and the Great Games", "From Postmodernism to Postsecularism: Re-emerging Islamic Civilization" and "Canada (more...)
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