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NATO Occupies Sweet Home Chicago

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NATO itself says Chicago [3] will discuss three main topics:
The "commitment to Afghanistan." Translation; let's occupy it forever, at least with three major bases (Bagram, Shindand and Kandahar), but we must find a way to spin it nicely. And then we gotta make those Central Asian "stans" give us more bases.

The "capabilities" to "defend its population and territory" -- as in defending North America and Europe by bombing and/or occupying parts of Central Asia or Africa. This is all bundled up as "challenges of the 21st century."

NATO's "network of partners across the globe."

The NATO partnership maze stands as one of the most successful handouts of boxes full of chocolate in history.

They include; the Partnership for Peace; the Mediterranean Dialogue; the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative; the Kosovo Force; Operation Ocean Shield (off the Horn of Africa); Operation Unified Protector (in Libya); Operation Active Endeavor (across the Mediterranean); the Troop Contributing Countries in Afghanistan, which feature Asia-Pacific nations such as Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea and Tonga; and the monstrous Partnership Cooperation Menu (with over 1,600 main dishes and side dishes).

There is also the Russian-NATO Council (RNC); that's as fractious a relationship as humanly conceivable, essentially because of the US obsession with missile defense.

NATO secretary general, the unctuous Dane Anders Fogh Rasmussen, already stressed that in Chicago NATO will announce "initial operational capability" for the joint US-NATO interceptor missile system in Europe. Translation; a phenomenal business venture for Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

NATO spins it as a "defense system" for Europe against North Korean or Iranian inter-continental ballistic missiles. This is absolute nonsense. This "defense system" is bound to be integrated into the Pentagon's first strike capability. Russian intelligence knows exactly who's supposed to be the real target.

No wonder Russia won't be at the Chicago funfest. Nor China. Nor Iran. Pakistan -- for a still undisclosed amount of shiny metal carrots -- is back at the last minute. None of this deters NATO. There is an internal drive to forge some sort of partnership with the BRICS group of emerging powers (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) -- all in the name of "security on a global level." The BRICS are not interested.

Still, "liberated" Iraq will inevitably be annexed to the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative. "Liberated" Libya will be inserted into the Mediterranean Dialogue. The same will happen to Syria (provided a Mission from God installs regime change). "Evil" Iran, on the other hand, will always be excluded. Unless a Mission from God produces regime change.

NATOspeak defines this partnership free-for-all as the need for "improving interoperability," part of the overall plan to build a "hub of relationships around the world." That's the Lisbon 2010 Strategic Concept in practice; Globocop NATO expanding to -- literally -- reach the stars.

So Chicago is just a test run -- an advanced stage, compared to Gaza or Sadr City in Baghdad, of what the RAND corporation used to call MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain). NATO after all has seen the future -- and is immersing itself body and soul in the "war of the drones." If you can't beat them in Pashtunistan, at least you can corral them in the home of the blues. Woke up this morning/and I found my baby droned.

Notes
1. US a kid in a NATO candy store Asia Times Online, November 25, 2010.
2. Remarks to the World Affairs Council 2012 NATO Conference US State Department, April 3, 2012.
3. NATO's 25th summit meeting, NATO website.

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Pepe Escobar is an independent geopolitical analyst. He writes for RT, Sputnik and TomDispatch, and is a frequent contributor to websites and radio and TV shows ranging from the US to East Asia. He is the former roving correspondent for Asia (more...)
 

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