DATE=02/12/98
TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
NUMBER=6-10571
TITLE=FORMALIZING N A T O EXPANSION
BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
TELEPHONE=619-3335
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
CONTENT=
INTRO: THE EXPANSION OF NATO TO INCLUDE THREE FORMER COMMUNIST
NATIONS -- POLAND, THE CZECH REPUBLIC, AND HUNGARY -- IS MOVING
FORWARD, AND SO IS THE DEBATE OVER ITS EFFICACY. PRESIDENT
CLINTON WEDNESDAY FORMALLY ASKED THE SENATE TO RATIFY AGREEMENT
TO THE NATO CHARTER THAT WOULD SANCTION THE ADDITION OF THE THREE
TO THE MILITARY ALLIANCE IN 1999. THAT INSURES THAT SOMETIME
SOON, A FULL FLEDGED DEBATE IN THE SENATE WILL TAKE PLACE OVER
WHY NATO SHOULD BE EXPANDED AND WHETHER IT IS A GOOD IDEA. THAT
DEBATE IS ALREADY GOING ON IN THE U-S PRESS, AND WE'RE JOINED NOW
BY __________________ WHO HAS SOME EXAMPLES IN TODAY'S U-S
OPINION ROUNDUP.
TEXT: THERE ARE MANY ARGUMENTS REGARDING THE U-S SUPPORTED
EXPANSION OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION. ONE IS
THAT, SINCE NATO WAS BASICALLY SET UP TO COUNTER THE SOVIET
MILITARY THREAT TO WESTERN EUROPE, AND SINCE THAT THREAT NO
LONGER EXISTS, WHAT IS THE NEED TO MAKE NATO BIGGER? OTHER
CRITICS CONTEND THAT THE EXPANSION WILL PLAY INTO THE HANDS OF
ANTI-WESTERN ELEMENTS IN RUSSIA WHO FEEL THE NATION'S SPHERE OF
INFLUENCE IS BEING ENCROACHED UPON, WITH A DANGER TO RUSSIAN
SOVEREIGNTY. THIS, SAY CRITICS, WILL STRENGTH THE CAMPAIGNS OF
RADICAL RIGHT WING ELEMENTS LIKE THAT OF VLADIMIR ZHIRINOVSKY.
THE COUNTER ARGUMENT, ACCORDING TO PRESIDENT CLINTON IS THAT
EXPANSION WILL MARK THE BEGINNING OF "A NEW ERA OF SECURITY AND
STABILITY FOR AMERICA AND FOR EUROPE." STILL OTHER CRITICS ARE
UPSET THAT SLOVENIA, ROMANIA AND THE THREE BALTIC STATES WERE NOT
INCLUDED, SINCE, IN THE OPINION OF SOME OBSERVERS, THEY WERE AS
STRONG CANDIDATES AS THE THREE NATIONS SELECTED.
WITH THAT AS BACKGROUND, WE BEGIN OUR SAMPLING IN THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST, WITH THIS COLUMN FROM "THE SEATTLE TIMES" BY THEODORE
GAILLARD, JUNIOR.
VOICE: IN JUST A FEW DAYS, DEBATE [ON THE EXPANSION] WILL
BEGIN. .... MEANWHILE, RUSSIA FUMES -- AND HAS BEEN
SINCE THESE THREE COUNTRIES WERE INVITED TO APPLY FOR
MEMBERSHIP ... WHY? BECAUSE NATO FORCES WILL LOOM
CLOSER THAN EVER TO RUSSIA, WHOSE WESTERN FLANK IS NO
LONGER PROTECTED BY THE WARSAW PACT. GIVEN RUSSIA'S NOT
UNJUSTIFIED CONCERNS, NATO WOULD DO WELL TO REEXAMINE
ITS OWN MISSION STATEMENT BEFORE ANY FURTHER MEMBERSHIP
EXPANSION. .... THIS DESTABILIZING ADMISSION OF POLAND,
HUNGARY AND THE CZECH REPUBLIC WOULD, IRONICALLY,
BOLSTER NATO'S EASTERN FLANK WITH THE VERY COUNTRIES
THAT UNDER THE WARSAW PACT HAD HELPED BETTER THE SOVIET
UNION AGAINST THE WEST. ....
TEXT: MR. GAILLARD, A PHILADELPHIA WRITER, CONCLUDES THAT NATO
NEEDS TO REWRITE ITS CHARTER, FOCUSING THE ORGANIZATION'S GOALS
BEYOND THE NORTH ATLANTIC RIM TO AREAS LIKE BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA,
WHICH MIGHT MAKE RUSSIA LESS ANXIOUS ABOUT THE EXPANSION.
"THE MANCHESTER [NEW HAMPSHIRE] UNION-LEADER" IS CONCERNED ABOUT
THIS COUNTRY'S OVEREXTENDING ITSELF MILITARILY, WHILE AT THE SAME
TIME, CUTTING THE ARMED FORCES DUE TO BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS.
VOICE: THE ADMINISTRATION WANTS TO ADD THREE NEW MEMBERS TO
NATO .... AND IS COMMITTED TO THE FUTURE INCLUSION OF AT
LEAST EIGHT OTHERS, INCLUDING THE BALTIC REPUBLICS,
ROMANIA, SLOVENIA AND UKRAINE. THIS IS PLAIN INSANITY.
SUCH AN EXPANSION IN NO RESPECT ADVANCES THE SECURITY OF
WESTERN EUROPE, LET ALONE THE UNITED STATES. WHAT
POSSIBLE INTEREST DOES AMERICA HAVE IN GUARANTEEING THE
SECURITY OF LATVIA OR THE UKRAINE, NATIONS THAT BORDER
RUSSIA AND WHICH NATO IS UTTERLY INCAPABLE OF DEFENDING?
...... IF NATO EXPANSION WERE SO IMPORTANT, ONE WOULD
SURMISE THAT THE EUROPEANS WOULD BE LINING UP IN SUPPORT
OF THE CLINTON INITIATIVE. YET ALREADY GERMANY, FRANCE
AND GREAT BRITAIN HAVE STATED OFFICIALLY THAT THEY WILL
NOT PAY A SINGLE MARK, FRANC OR POUND TOWARD NATO
EXPANSION. ONCE AGAIN ...... THE AMERICAN TAXPAYERS
WILL GET STUCK HOLDING THE CHECK ....
TEXT: IN BALTIMORE, "THE SUN" RECENTLY RAN THIS COLUMN BY SUSAN
EISENHOWER, CHAIRWOMAN OF THE CENTER FOR POLITICAL AND STRATEGIC
STUDIES, A FOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS ORGANIZATION IN WASHINGTON.
VOICE: WATCHING PRESIDENT CLINTON DELIVER HIS STATE OF THE
UNION ADDRESS, I REGRET TO SAY, MADE ME FEEL LIKE A
PASSENGER ON THE TITANIC. ..... OUR CAPTAIN SPENT LESS
THAN ONE MINUTE OF HIS SPEECH EXPLAINING HIS POSITION ON
NATO EXPANSION.... LIKE THE CAPTAIN OF THAT ILL-FATED
LINER, MR. CLINTON HAS BEEN WARNED THAT ICEBERGS ARE
EVERYWHERE, BUT HE IS STEAMING FULL SPEED AHEAD,
IGNORING WHAT MAY LIE BENEATH THE SURFACE, INSISTING
THAT OUR VESSEL IS INDESTRUCTIBLE, UNSINKABLE. ..... I
AM NOT SO SURE. TO BEGIN WITH, THE ADMINISTRATION'S
PROMISE TO LATVIA, LITHUANIA AND ESTONIA THAT THE UNITED
STATES WILL SUPPORT THEIR MEMBERSHIP IN NATO IS
RECKLESSLY PRE-EMPTIVE. ..... THE RUSSIANS HAVE WARNED
FOR MORE THAN A YEAR THAT THEY MIGHT WALK OUT OF THE
NATO-RUSSIAN FOUNDING ACT IF THE BALTICS ARE ADMITTED.
.... THE RUSSIANS ARE NOT KIDDING ABOUT THIS. THEY WERE
'HAD' [TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF] BEFORE, AND ARE DETERMINED
NOT TO LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN. .... GIVEN OUR DANGEROUS
COURSE, THE ONLY PRUDENT THING TO DO IS TO DELAY OR
REJECT NATO EXPANSION. THROUGH NATO, ITS PARTNERSHIP
FOR PEACE, A MILITARY NETWORK THAT INCLUDES ALL
COUNTRIES OF THE FORMER COMMUNIST BLOC AND THE
ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE, WE
HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED RIGHT NOW TO PROVIDE FOR
SECURITY, DEMOCRATIZATION ASSISTANCE AND CRISIS
PREVENTION.
TEXT: LASTLY, SOME ADDITIONAL MISGIVINGS FROM "THE WASHINGTON
POST."
VOICE: AS THE SENATE MOVES TO THE QUESTION OF RATIFYING NATO
ENLARGEMENT, THE DEBATE IS IN A CURIOUS PLACE. IT IS
GENERALLY ACCEPTED THAT ADDING POLAND, HUNGARY AND
THE CZECH REPUBLIC .... WILL BE APPROVED BY WELL OVER
THE NECESSARY TWO-THIRDS WHEN THE VOTE COMES PROBABLY
NEXT SPRING. YET SEVERAL YEARS OF INTENSE DISCUSSION
HAVE NOT REMOVED ALL SERIOUS DOUBTS ABOUT THE STEP.
EVEN AMONG SUPPORTERS, MISGIVINGS ABOUT ADDING
FURTHER MEMBERS LATER ARE EVIDENT. THERE IS A MORAL
HEART TO THE CASE FOR ENLARGEMENT, AND IT IS TO BIND
THE DEMOCRACIES, REFRESHING THE OLD, STRENGTHENING
THE NEW. .... THE RESULTING INCREMENTS OF STABILITY
WOULD BENEFIT NOT ONLY NATO MEMBERS BUT THE RUSSIANS,
WHO REMAIN OPPOSED TO THE DEVELOPMENT BUT ARE UNABLE
TO STOP IT. THE SERIOUS AMERICAN OBJECTION TO
ENLARGEMENT COMES FROM STRATEGISTS WHO FEAR THE
POLITICAL AND MILITARY DILUTION OF AN ALLIANCE ONCE
FOCUSED LASER-LIKE ON TERRITORIAL DEFENSE AGAINST A
SINGLE DANGEROUS FOE. THESE STRATEGISTS WOULD HAVE
THE EUROPEAN UNION DO THE MAIN WORK OF EASING THE
PATH OF THE NEW DEMOCRACIES, LEAVING NATO TO DEAL
WITH A STILL-PROBLEMATIC RUSSIA AND ITS HUGE RESIDUAL
NUCLEAR RESOURCE. BUT THAT WOULD LEAVE THE NOW-FREE
PIECES OF THE OLD SOVIET EMPIRE MAROONED IN STRATEGIC
AMBIGUITY. THE NEW DEMOCRACIES NEED BETTER AND
DESERVE IT.
TEXT: ON THAT NOTE, WE CONCLUDE THIS SAMPLING OF COMMENT ON THE
LATEST MOVE BY PRESIDENT CLINTON TO FURTHER THE EXPANSION OF
NATO.
NEB/ANG/MMK
12-Feb-98 2:11 PM EST (1911 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.