While NATO has a history of extending its military reach beyond the borders of Europe - most notably in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also North Africa and the Persian Gulf - this is the first time a major discussion will take place regarding a possible NATO military role in the Pacific.
The possibility of the alliance's involvement in the region seemed attractive to Stoltenberg, who called it "a unique opportunity to start a new chapter for transatlantic relations," adding that China was a legitimate concern for NATO given that it, along with Russia, is "at the forefront of an authoritarian pushback against the rules-based international order."
The "rules-based international order" to which Stoltenberg refers dates back to the aftermath of the Second World War and the various institutions and norms - centered around the notion of a United Nations but in fact dictated and managed by Washington - that were established at that time.
These rules are often credited with having delivered peace and prosperity in the 75 years since the end of that conflict. Any student of history, however, would know that the world did not prosper peacefully during that time, but rather was engaged in near-constant conflict driven by the desire of the US and its allies to impose "rules-based order" on the rest of the world. NATO is an extension of this effort, with its role in Kosovo and Libya underscoring its aggressive post-Cold War persona.
The unfortunate reality is that NATO is an institution of war, incapable of articulating non-military solutions. Given its military-centric focus, NATO defines all problems as requiring a military solution. This holds true in both Iraq and Afghanistan, where almost every expert has noted there is no military solution, and yet Stoltenberg continues to argue for NATO troops to remain until one can be found.
The same holds true regarding NATO's militarization of the political problems existent in eastern Europe, choosing the deployment of battlegroups over the dispatch of diplomats. The pivot toward defining Russia and China as a potential adversary is drawn less from any real threat posed by either nation, but rather from the insecurity of a United States in decline. By bringing NATO into the mix when it comes to China, the US ensures that whatever "solution" that will be agreed upon will act to sustain the military viability of an alliance that has survived long past its logical expiration date.
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