Ukraine Conflict: Red Meat for NATO

[Oscar]

Ukraine Conflict: Red Meat for NATO

[ http://www.alternet.org/world/ukraine-c ... 18550&t=21 ]

by Medea Benjamin AlterNet September 8, 2014

NATO's encroachment in Russia’s backyard threatens an armed conflict between Russia and NATO-aligned countries.

The footage of President Obama strolling through the ancient ruins at Stonehenge was an apt bookend to the meeting of NATO, a Cold War relic that should have been abolished after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. But while hundreds of protesters marched through the streets calling for NATO to be dissolved—“From Iraq to Ukraine, NATO only causes pain,” they chanted—NATO leaders saw the crisis in Ukraine as an opportunity to breathe new life into the moribund military alliance.

The recent NATO meeting in Wales was supposed to be about how to wind down NATO’s 12-year military adventure in Afghanistan—without admitting the monumental failure of leaving behind a fractured, impoverished nation that can’t even figure out who won the last election. Afghanistan, however, was barely mentioned. Nor was the disastrous NATO intervention in Libya that has resulted in a failed state rife with violence. And while there was some handwringing about how to deal with ISIS, it was clear most NATO countries did not want to join Obama in a new military quagmire. The meeting’s main focus was the conflict in Ukraine, a conflict that NATO played a key role in creating.

A creature of the Cold War created in 1949 to defend Europe from Soviet expansion, NATO did not dissolve when the Soviet Union collapsed peacefully. But it did assure Russia that it would not expand eastwards beyond the reunified Germany, and it would not station significant numbers of troops in Eastern Europe.

NATO broke the pledge. In 1999, it admitted three former Warsaw Pact countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. In 2004, it admitted the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Today the NATO security alliance covers 28 member states. It does not include Ukraine, but Ukraine is pushing for NATO membership.

One does not have to sympathize with Putin's oligarchic authoritarianism or its annexation of Crimea to recognize the West’s intimidation. When Ukraine's corrupt but elected president was overthrown in a US-backed coup, it was scarcely paranoid for Russia to see the takeover of the neighboring state as a threat to its core interests.

For the past six months, fighting between the Moscow-backed eastern Ukrainian resistance and the NATO-backed nationalists has led to thousands dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.

Instead of seeking to reduce tensions, British Prime Minister David Cameron used the Summit to announce the creation of a new rapid-reaction force of 4,000 troops. [ http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/s ... ics-russia ] The force, to be made up of troops provided by member states on a rotating basis, would be capable of deploying on 48 hours’ notice to protect any NATO member from external aggression, which under the current circumstances means the Baltic States.

While NATO insists that is has no plans for new permanent bases in Eastern Europe, it announced that troops will be rotated to the region every four months, creating what it calls a “persistent” presence. The force will be supported with logistics and equipment, including weapons and fuel pre-positioned in Eastern European countries closer to Russia. This will be enhanced by more military exercises and air patrols, as well as exercises in Ukraine. And the US government has already have committed some $60 million to provide the Ukraine military with items like night vision goggles, body armor, and communications equipment.

Adding to Russia’s sense of encirclement, NATO is also building missile interceptor shields. NATO insists this will be purely defensive and is intended to thwart any future missile attack by a rogue state such as Iran or North Korea. But Russia views NATO deployment of interceptor missiles and radars in Romania, the Czech Republic and Poland as another form of intimidation.

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[ http://www.alternet.org/world/ukraine-c ... 18550&t=21 ]



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Iraq, Ukraine see Canada's military footprint expand

[ http://www.canada.com/News/canada/Iraq+ ... story.html ]

By Lee Berthiaume, Ottawa Citizen September 6, 2014


The end of Canada’s decade-long involvement in Afghanistan was expected to bring a lull in Canadian military operations. Instead, the maple leaf is flying in even more countries thanks to developments in Ukraine and Iraq.

Here is where Canadian military personnel and equipment are currently deployed on operations:

Iraq

Operation Impact

Canadian Forces personnel deployed: 100 so far, with a further number to be revealed

Other military assets committed: One CC-130J Hercules transport airplane; one CC-177 Globemaster heavy transport airplane

Canada is sending dozens of military advisers to Iraq to provide expertise and assistance to Iraqi government troops fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

(ISIL). This is on top of two transport aircraft and more than 100 technicians, logistical staff and other personnel already deployed to transport humanitarian and military

supplies to Iraqi forces. The government won’t say how many personnel are in Iraq, only that the aircraft are flying out of locations in the Mediterranean and Eastern

Europe.

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[ http://www.canada.com/News/canada/Iraq+ ... story.html ]

[Oscar]

Canada considers taking fight against ISIS to Libya, Syria

[ http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada- ... -1.2966050 ]

'We're going to look at all of the options,' Defence Minister Jason Kenney says

CBC News Posted: Feb 21, 2015 10:25 AM ET| Last Updated: Feb 21, 2015 10:25 AM ET

Defence Minister Jason Kenney has indicated the government is not ruling out taking Canada's military mission against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group beyond Iraq — to Syria and Libya.

"Well, we're going to look at all of the options," Kenney said an interview broadcast Saturday.

"Obviously there are practical limits to our ability to operate around the world, but we will look at our options to see where we can have the most impact, where we're most needed," he said. "That requires ongoing consultation with our allies. We don't just decide these things unilaterally."

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[ http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada- ... -1.2966050 ]


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LISTEN: Interview - Jason Kenney

Evan Solomon, host of CBC Radio's The House, asked Kenney about participating in missions in those countries:

[ http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Politics/ ... 655015945/ ]

The House | Feb 21, 2015 | 12:09

Defence Minister Jason Kenney responds to the critics of Bill C-51, discusses the situation in Ukraine and the possibility of fighting ISIS in Libya.