This was the article on NATO expansion I referred to in a post on Sunday Monday.
"...Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, told me that during his 1990 negotiations with U.S. Secretary of State James Baker about Germany's reunification and the removal of 300,000 Soviet troops from East Germany, the Russians made it clear that they didn't want German reunification within NATO. The negotiations went back and forth with little progress. Finally, according to Gorbachev, Baker looked at him directly and said, "Look, if you remove your troops and allow unification of Germany in NATO, NATO will not expand one inch to the east.
"...Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, told me that during his 1990 negotiations with U.S. Secretary of State James Baker about Germany's reunification and the removal of 300,000 Soviet troops from East Germany, the Russians made it clear that they didn't want German reunification within NATO. The negotiations went back and forth with little progress. Finally, according to Gorbachev, Baker looked at him directly and said, "Look, if you remove your troops and allow unification of Germany in NATO, NATO will not expand one inch to the east.
Ok, so according to Gorbachev, in the context of a discussion where he is telling Baker he wants no united Germany in NATO, Baker says a united Germany will be in NATO but NATO will not go further east. That is sensible. Baker could not have acceded to Gorbachev here. What was NATO to do? West Germany had been a member since 1955, now there was no longer an East and a West Germany, there was a unified Germany. Kick West Germany out? Keep West Germany but not include the eastern part of Germany that was no longer separate? The only sensible solution was for NATO to take a unified Germany and to make it more palatable for Gorbachev Baker said "no further east."
"When I spoke with Baker, he agreed that he told Gorbachev that if the Soviet Union allowed German reunification and membership in NATO, the West would not expand NATO "one inch to the east." But "the east," for Baker, meant East Germany -- not Eastern Europe. The United States later dialed back Baker's offer even further, saying that legally, if Germany reunified, the White House couldn't promise no NATO expansion into East Germany."
"When I spoke with Baker, he agreed that he told Gorbachev that if the Soviet Union allowed German reunification and membership in NATO, the West would not expand NATO "one inch to the east." But "the east," for Baker, meant East Germany -- not Eastern Europe. The United States later dialed back Baker's offer even further, saying that legally, if Germany reunified, the White House couldn't promise no NATO expansion into East Germany."
According to Baker, he told Gorbachev NATO wouldn't take a unified Germany! That is bullshit.
"Then, of course, President Bill Clinton expanded NATO to the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland, and President George W. Bush pushed it even further in early 2004. Russia perceived these actions as threatening, and they remain a bone of contention today.
"Given President George H.W. Bush's earlier vow at the 1989 Malta summit that if Gorbachev allowed Eastern Europe to go its own way, the United States wouldn't take advantage, one can see how Gorbachev might have thought Baker was referring to any eastward expansion, not just expansion into East Germany.The United States later dialed back Baker's offer even further, saying that legally, if Germany reunified, the White House couldn't promise no NATO expansion into East Germany."
...
"According to the American participants in the negotiation, NATO expansion east of Germany didn't even come up.
"According to the American participants in the negotiation, NATO expansion east of Germany didn't even come up.
Nor would it. Baker had just said we're taking a unified Germany into NATO and we won't go "one inch to the east."
"Then, of course, President Bill Clinton expanded NATO to the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland, and President George W. Bush pushed it even further in early 2004. Russia perceived these actions as threatening, and they remain a bone of contention today.
The Russians are absolutely correct up to this point. America lied: it promised the Russians no expansion east of Germany and it expanded east. They are wrong to feel that the expansion east was threatening. The United States and NATO DO NOT THREATEN RUSSIA.
"Given President George H.W. Bush's earlier vow at the 1989 Malta summit that if Gorbachev allowed Eastern Europe to go its own way, the United States wouldn't take advantage, one can see how Gorbachev might have thought Baker was referring to any eastward expansion, not just expansion into East Germany.The United States later dialed back Baker's offer even further, saying that legally, if Germany reunified, the White House couldn't promise no NATO expansion into East Germany."
The Americans lied. Pure and simple lied. Bradley, Baker, Papi, go fuck yourselves.
