by Klaus Doring
April 4, 1949 has been a historical day: ten West European countries with the U.S.A. and Canada signed the “North Atlantic Contract” and founded the NATO, the “North Atlantic Treaty Organization”. The “Cold War” between the non-communist Western hemisphere and the communist Eastern hemisphere, dominated by the former Soviet Union, had become completely inflamed. Seven additional states, among them, the former West-Germany (my home country) followed and joined the alliance.
The communist ‘Warsaw Pact Members’ during that time, treated the NATO as an aggressive and dangerous alliance. For almost 45 years the NATO’s chief task has been to deter a “potential communist member”, who “lives in the East”. The expected and probable enemy has been found “on the other side of the NATO-borders.” Nowadays, we can find new alliance members, cooperation partners or joint candidates.
The pro and contra regarding NATO’s extension and expansion is indeed very evident. The inner climate between NATO partners streams undoubtedly and inevitably into an excessively crucial test and row.
The global theatre of war against Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups has not yet been won! But a prominent victim, the NATO itself, was borne to its grave already. The most powerful global military alliance explained to the whole world it’s the future of this alliance. National and international commentators sung the obituary – not only once and since many years!
Actually the NATO should become a common bridge among all contradictory positions, but it seems that only one thing that unites the diffent caps: the intention of mutally taking advantage. Distressing!
No doubts, the alliance NATO is still alive. But it’s really not enough to be a powerful military alliance, which “ends every war within a few days…”.
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Last but not for the the least – on the spot: Final poll results show incumbent president Heinz Fischer as the winner in Austrian elections. The Social Democrat’s victory is not really not a surprise, but the elections were seen as a gauge of the far-rights’ popularity. For the sake of the Austrian nation and the European economy: Congratulations Mr. President Fischer.
As the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the EU (European Union) meet in Washington to assemble the details of a joint aid deal for debt-tortured Greece, German and French finance ministers are saying their support will require further sacrifices due mismanagement and corruption in Greece during the4 last 20 years. For the sake of the European and global economy: go ahead Finance Ministers!
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