michelleponders

Why has Ukraine not been able to join NATO? Why is Russia so against Ukraine joining NATO? These questions have been rolling around in my head as we see the Russian/Ukrainian war begin its fourth year. War is never the best answer. So many questions that must be answered and yet all we hear is how this war must continue and how NATO must support it.

NATO/Cold War: NATO(North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was created and signed in 1949. A series of events between 1947-1948 led to the US becoming involved with western Europe in security and politics. There was tension in Turkey and and ongoing civil war in Greece. Communists powers moved up to German borders due to a Soviet led coup in Czechoslovakia. Communism was trying to take over in Italy through elections. In 1948 Joseph Stalin decided to test how far he could push communism into a fractured Germany by implementing a blockade against west Berlin, which was surrounded by communist East Germany. The Berlin crisis almost brought the US and Soviet Union to an armed conflict. In 1948, several western European countries formed an alliance as a collective form of security against the Soviet Union other concerning tensions in Europe. This led to the signing of the Brussels Treaty in 1948. The Truman administration was also seeing the need to help western European nations and was drafting a military alliance to present before Congress. Republican Senator Arthur H. Vandenburg proposed a resolution which passed in Congress and the work on NATO began. And with the signing, the NATO countries began helping to rebuild and secure western Europe after World War II against communism and the Soviet Union. Thus began the Cold War and the impending threat of nuclear war.

NATO Post Cold War: In 1989, the Berlin wall dividing Berlin was brought down and Germany became one country again. The Soviet Union official collapsed in December of 1991, thus ending the Cold War. NATO continued its existence beyond the Cold War era and gained new member nations in Eastern Europe during the late 1990’s. That development was not well received by leaders of the Russian Federation and became a source of post-Cold War tension between the East and the West. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, NATO had to undergo major policy changes to include all European countries. Along those lines, the Rome Summit in November 1991 declared that they welcomed the development of a European security and defense role, reflected in the further strengthening of the European pillar within the Alliance. The fragile new Alliance was tested immediately with the disintegration of Yugoslavia and the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina which was a complex war. The Alliance’s increased involvement in Bosnia resulted in the settlement of the war and the mission Operation Joint Endeavor to continue peacekeeping and stabilization in the area. The Brussels Summit in January 1994 reinforced the desire for NATO to expand and was open to that expansion. But there was a major concern that NATO’s expansion east would effect any future cooperation with Russia. President Bill Clinton met with, then Russian President, Boris Yeltsin in a March 1997 to discuss NATO’s expansion east. They both agreed to disagree with NATO’s expansion east but pledged stronger consultation and, where possible, joint decision making in security issues between NATO and Russia. This led to Yeltsin signing the “Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation, and Security between NATO and the Russian Federation,” which established the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council.

Russia/Crimea: Now, in 2014, Russia annexed Crimea which actually started the war between Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine was going through its never ending government issues and instability and it was prime for the picking. Crimea was once part of Russia but was eventually given given to Ukraine in 1954 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of 1654 Treaty of Pereyaslav, called the “Reunification of Ukraine with Russia” in the Soviet Union. In 1992, the transfer was questioned. Russia eventually recognized that Crimea was a part of Ukraine in 1997. Russia had claimed that the majority of the Crimean population wanted to be annexed by Russia. The annexation was seen as illegal by the Ukrainian government and there has been a lot of support from most of the UN nations. My question is why NATO did not intervene and push back on Russia then? Yes, there were sanctions and Russia was kicked out of the Council of Europe. But these actions obviously did not do anything to Russia. As a matter of fact, Russia doubled down and even tried to take over Kyiv, which did not work. Russia had to retreat because they got too big for their breeches. But would not that have been a time to hit Russia with the combined military of NATO? Russia was at a vulnerable point and it would have been a good chance to let Russia know that they would not be allowed to bully their border counties, especially by the other European countries. But what do I know?

The fact is no country in NATO wants to be pulled into a direct conflict with Russia, including America. The aid Ukraine has received is the best it is going to get. There has not been any no-fly zones over Ukraine enforced or boots on the ground to help in the fighting. In order for there to be peace and an end to the war, there will be sacrifices on both sides. Crimea will go back to Russia and Russia must withdraw from eastern Ukraine. There needs to be consequences for Russia should they invade Ukraine again. There should probably be provisions in place should Russia decide to invade any of its border counties. And that will be up to NATO to enforce, especially the European members. The US can not come to the rescue of every country on the other side of the world. European countries who are NATO members need to step up and help out their neighbors. Ukraine will also have to learn to stand on its own and become a truly sovereign country. The Ukraine government has never been stable since the fall of the Soviet Union and that is a fact. Ukraine needs help to heal itself before it can become a member of NATO. Maybe that is the biggest concern the NATO council has had and why Ukraine has never been allowed to join? Hmm…