DATE=05/04/98
TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
NUMBER=6-10695
TITLE=THE U-S SENATE VOTES TO EXPAND NATO
BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
TELEPHONE=619-3335
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
INTRO: THE UNITED STATES SENATE VOTED OVERWHELMINGLY LATE LAST
WEEK TO RATIFY THE EXPANSION OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY
ORGANIZATION TO INCLUDE POLAND, THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND HUNGARY.
THE VOTE, WHICH CROSSED PARTY LINES, WAS 80 TO 19, AND TOOK PLACE
LATE THURSDAY EVENING AFTER TWELVE HOURS OF CONTINUOUS DEBATE.
IN THE AMERICAN PRESS, HOWEVER, THE ARGUMENT STILL RAGES WITH
SOME PAPERS APPLAUDING THE MOVE, AND OTHERS WORRIED ABOUT HOW IT
WILL AFFECT RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA.
JOINING US NOW IS ___________________ WITH A SAMPLING IN TODAY'S
U-S OPINION ROUNDUP.
TEXT: MARYLAND SENATOR BARBARA MILKULSKI, A POLISH-AMERICAN,
COMMENTED 'WE'RE VOTING TO MAKE EUROPE MORE STABLE AND AMERICA
MORE SECURE' AS SHE RECOUNTED POLAND'S TROUBLED HISTORY UNDER
NAZI AND SOVIET DOMINATION. HOWEVER, VETERAN DEMOCRATIC SENATORS
DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN OF NEW YORK AND PATRICK LEAHY OF VERMONT,
WHO HAVE SUPPORTED MUCH OF PRESIDENT CLINTON'S FOREIGN POLICY,
DENOUNCED THE EXPANSION.
THE TWO LAWMAKERS SAID IT WOULD ENCOURAGE NATIONALISTS IN RUSSIA.
..... SENATOR LEAHY TOLD HIS COLLEAGUES HE REMAINS 'PROFOUNDLY
TROUBLED' BY THE IDEA OF PUSHING NATO TO THE EDGE OF RUSSIA.
THAT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF HOW DIVIDED SOME IN CONGRESS ARE. FOR
AN IDEA OF HOW THE PRESS REACTED, HERE IS A COMMENT FROM "THE SAN
FRANCISCO CHRONICLE" [5/1]:
VOICE: IT WAS A BRIGHT DAY FOR THE PROSPECT OF CONSOLIDATING
DEMOCRACY AND PROMOTING THE EXPANSION OF CAPITALISM IN
THE FORMER SOVIET BLOC. AS AMENDMENTS TO CURTAIL NATO
ENLARGEMENT FELL LIKE SO MANY CHUNKS IS OF THE BERLIN
WALL, PRESIDENT CLINTON WAS CONFIDENT ENOUGH OF AN
AFFIRMATIVE VOTE TO DECLARE THAT THE WORLD WAS MOVING
'CLOSER THAN EVER TO REALIZING THE DREAM OF A
GENERATION: A EUROPE THAT IS UNITED, DEMOCRATIC AND
SECURE.' [MR.] CLINTON DESERVED CREDIT FOR PROVIDING
LEADERSHIP ON THIS CRITICAL MATTER OF FOREIGN POLICY.
..... FOR ALL THE QUESTIONS ABOUT EXPANSION ..... THERE
WAS NO DENYING THAT NATO'S BASIC MISSION WOULD HAVE TO
CHANGE IN THIS POST-COLD WAR ERA. ADDING NEW
DEMOCRACIES AS THEY MATURE IS A NECESSARY ELEMENT OF
THAT CHANGE.
TEXT: ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE NATION, PORTLAND'S "MAINE SUNDAY
TELEGRAM" ALSO APPROVES, SAYING THAT FUTURE HISTORIANS WILL LOOK
BACK ON THE DATE OF APRIL 30TH AS HISTORIC, AND ADDING THAT THE
WORLD IS BETTER FOR THE DECISION.
VOICE: THE ACTION HAS HUGE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE. IT MEANS THIS NATION HAS PLEDGED TO RESPOND TO
AN ATTACK ON PRAGUE, BUDAPEST OR WARSAW IN THE SAME
MANNER AS IT WOULD ..... WASHINGTON, D.C. IT WILL MEAN
EXPANDING THE MILITARY PRESENCE OF THE UNITED STATES AND
OTHER NATO COUNTRIES 644 KILOMETERS ... EASTWARD TOWARD
RUSSIA. .... FOR NEARLY HALF A CENTURY ... NATO HAS
PROVEN TO BE THE UNDERPINNING OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY
FOR WESTERN EUROPE. THAT FACT IS CLEAR TO RUSSIA AND
OTHER NON-NATO COUNTRIES IN EUROPE, AND IT'S DOUBTFUL
THEY FEEL THREATENED.
TEXT: TAKING A DECIDEDLY DIFFERENT VIEW IS GEORGE KENNAN, A
FORMER AMBASSADOR TO MOSCOW DURING THE COLD WAR AND THE MAN
CREDITED WITH BEING THE ARCHITECT OF AMERICA'S CONTAINMENT POLICY
TOWARD THE SOVIET UNION. NOW, AT 94, HE IS LIVING OUT HIS
RETIREMENT IN PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY. WRITING IN "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" COLUMNIST THOMAS FRIEDMAN CALLED MR. KENNAN FOR HIS VIEWS
AND REPORTS THE VETERAN STATESMAN'S STARK ASSESSMENT.
VOICE: 'I THINK IT IS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW COLD WAR ..... I
THINK THE RUSSIANS WILL GRADUALLY REACT QUITE ADVERSELY
AND IT WILL AFFECT THEIR POLICIES. I THINK IT IS A
TRAGIC MISTAKE. THERE WAS NO REASON FOR THIS
WHATSOEVER. NO ONE WAS THREATENING ANYBODY ELSE. THIS
EXPANSION WOULD MAKE THE FOUNDING FATHERS OF THIS
COUNTRY TURN OVER IN THEIR GRAVES [AN IDIOM FOR: "BEING
PROFOUNDLY UPSET" WITH SOMETHING.] WE HAVE SIGNED UP TO
PROTECT A WHOLE SERIES OF COUNTRIES, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE
NEITHER THE RESOURCES NOR THE INTENTION TO DO SO IN ANY
SERIOUS WAY. [NATO EXPANSION] WAS SIMPLY A
LIGHT-HEARTED ACTION BY A SENATE THAT HAS NO REAL
INTEREST IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS.' ..... AS HE SAID GOODBYE
TO ME ON THE PHONE, MR. KENNAN ADDED JUST ONE MORE
THING: 'THIS HAS BEEN MY LIFE, AND IT PAINS ME TO SEE IT
SO SCREWED UP [MISHANDLED] IN THE END.'
TEXT: "THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER" SAYS THE SENATE DEBATE
ANSWERED NONE OF THE NAGGING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT IT CONSIDERS AN
ILL-ADVISED FOREIGN POLICY DECISION.
VOICE: ..... THE SENATE VOTE DOESN'T CLARIFY WHY THE MEMBERSHIP
MATTERS WHEN THE SOVIET UNION IS DEAD AND THE IRON
CURTAIN IS HISTORY. ..... THE SENATE VOTE .... FAILS TO
ANSWER ANY OF THE NAGGING QUESTIONS THAT MAKE NATO
EXPANSION UNWISE. THE NATO ALLIANCE WAS FORMED TO
DEFEND WESTERN EUROPE AGAINST SOVIET AGGRESSION. THE
CLINTON ADMINISTRATION INSISTS THAT NATO'S MISSION NO
LONGER IS TO CONTAIN RUSSIAN MIGHT. SO WHY EXPAND THE
ALLIANCE'S BORDERS EAST? .... THE ADMINISTRATION SAYS
NATO SHOULD FOCUS ON ETHNIC CONFLICTS AND ON
INTERNATIONAL THREATS SUCH AS DRUGS AND TERRORISM.
FINE. BUT MOST EUROPEAN MEMBERS OF NATO WERE RELUCTANT
TO INTERVENE IN BOSNIA, AND FEW CAN AGREE ON MEASURES TO
STOP ETHNIC KILLING IN KOSOVO OR PREVENT RENEWED CIVIL
WAR IN CYPRUS. .... IF NATO DECISIONS -- WHICH
REQUIRE A CONSENSUS -- ARE SO HARD TO MAKE WITH 16
MEMBERS, HOW CAN THEY BE MADE WITH THREE MORE? TEN
MORE? IF THE ADMINISTRATION DOESN'T EXERCISE CAUTION,
IT MAY EXPAND NATO INTO IMPOTENCE.
TEXT: FINALLY, SOME COMMENTS FROM "THE WASHINGTON POST" WHICH
SUPPORTED THE VOTE, POINTING OUT THE BIPARTISAN SUPPORT OF THE
MOVE, WITH PRESIDENT CLINTON LAUNCHING NATO ENLARGEMENT, AND A
REPUBLICAN SENATE RATIFYING IT. "THE POST" SAYS THAT WHILE
RUSSIA IS STILL IN A DELICATE TRANSITION TO CAPITALISM AND
DEMOCRACY, AND MAY BE ALIENATED BY THE MOVE, THAT SHOULD NOT
BE AN ARGUMENT AGAINST THIS EXPANSION.
VOICE: IT WOULD BE FOOLISH TO SAY THAT RUSSIA, A COUNTRY STILL
IN A VULNERABLE PHASE OF UPROOTEDNESS AND TRANSITION,
CANNOT BE FURTHER ALIENATED. BUT THAT SIMPLY MAKES IT
PRUDENT TO ENGAGE WITH RUSSIA MORE DEEPLY ACROSS THE
BOARD IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE OPPONENTS' DIRE FORECASTS
FROM BECOMING TRUE BY OFFICIAL DEFAULT. NO DOUBT MANY
RUSSIANS WOULD PREFER TO KEEP CENTRAL EUROPE A SPHERE OF
INFLUENCE IN WHICH TRADITIONAL RUSSIAN SECURITY
AMBITIONS PREVAIL ..... BUT THE COLD WAR WAS FOUGHT, ON
THE AMERICAN SIDE, PRECISELY TO PREVENT THAT OLD HABIT
FROM BEING SUSTAINED.
TEXT: ON THAT NOTE, WE CONCLUDE THIS SAMPLING OF EDITORIAL
REACTION TO THE SENATE'S VOTE LAST WEEK ON EXPANDING NATO.
NEB/ANG/KL
04-May-98 1:59 PM EDT (1759 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.