NATO expansion aimed at Russia never-ending: Warsaw Pact and Japan
Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The Warsaw Pact – a collection of nations under the Soviet Bloc during the Cold War – ended in 1991. At first, early American administrations promised not to expand NATO. However, the opposite emerged. Therefore, the geopolitical security of the Russian Federation would become threatened.
In Northeast Asia, the compliant pro-America nation of Japan is increasingly nationalist. Hence, this region is now divided to suit the deeds of America. Indeed, with nationalism emerging in Japan, recent leaders of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) don’t resemble the more neutralist approach of past leaders of the LDP.
For example, Japanese leaders were supportive of China after the Tiananmen Square (1989) crisis. Yet, today, it is a different story because nationalists in the LDP are anti-Russia and anti-China. Therefore, issues from Taiwan to Ukraine are being manipulated by the party that endorses the nationalist ideas behind Yasukuni Shrine.
Japan is only on friendly terms with Taiwan throughout Northeast Asia. Hence, America is hoping that Japan tones down its “re-writing of history” by making overtures to South Korea – and paving the way for the improvement in ties (the new leader of South Korea seeks better ties with Japan). If not, then in Northeast Asia, Japan isn’t trusted by China, North Korea, the Russian Federation, and South Korea. Thus America is hoping that the new leader of South Korea – along with the nationalist puppet in Tokyo (Prime Minister Fumio Kishida) – will build bridges concerning America playing the anti-China and anti-Russia card.
The Warsaw Pact ended in 1991. This military bloc consisted of the Soviet Union and nations under the control of this nation during the Cold War. However, the demise of communism in parts of Central and Eastern Europe meant the ending of this military bloc. Therefore, administrations in America during this period promised not to expand NATO – while the emerging Russian Federation sought “a common European home.”
During this period of history, James Baker, the United States Secretary of State, said NATO would not expand “one inch eastward.” It matters not if this wasn’t a binding agreement. This was the “spirit” of the time. In this period, nobody could foresee endless NATO expansion after the demise of the Warsaw Pact. However, not only did NATO expand to the borders of the Russian Federation, but nations in this bloc also took hostile anti-Russian Federation positions in Georgia, Ukraine, and Central Asia where possible.
President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation said, “They told us in the 1990s: not an inch to the East. What is the result? They cheated us. They simply impudently cheated us with NATO’s five waves of expansion. Now the corresponding systems are appearing already in Romania and Poland.”
Putin continued, “Have we approached the borders of the United States or Britain? They have approached ours. And now they say ‘Ukraine will also be a NATO member.’ Consequently, their [weapon] systems will emerge there.”
Putin also said – concerning Ukrainian nationalism and Neo-Nazi groups (documented by Western media sources for over 8 years) – that Ukraine “…has declared Russians living on this territory, on their own territory, a non-indigenous people – just like the Poles, the Hungarians, and the Romanians… they are simply squeezing Russians and the Russian-speaking population from their historical territories.”
The Guardian (Simon Jenkins), concerning the late Boris Yeltsin pleading with NATO powers not to move to the borders of Russia, reports, “The west blatantly derided the advice. Nato leaders feasted on victory, recruiting members eastwards through Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and the Baltic states. Pleas from Russian moderates were ignored, while London opened its doors to Russia’s stolen wealth. The result was predictable…”
Boston Globe published an article authored by Stephen Kinzer: US a full partner in Ukraine debacle. Kinzer uttered: “From the moment the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the United States has relentlessly pursued a strategy of encircling Russia, just as it has with other perceived enemies like China and Iran. It has brought 12 countries in central Europe, all formerly allied with Moscow, into the NATO alliance. US military power is now directly on Russia’s borders.”
Since he wrote this, the expansion is even further to the borders and geopolitical concerns of the Russian Federation.
The late Stephen F. Cohen (1938-2020) said in 2019, “For centuries and still today, Russia and large parts of Ukraine have had much in common—a long territorial border; a shared history; ethnic, linguistic, and other cultural affinities; intimate personal relations; substantial economic trade; and more. Even after the years of escalating conflict between Kiev and Moscow since 2014, many Russians and Ukrainians still think of themselves in familial ways. The United States has almost none of these commonalities with Ukraine.”
He also said, he blamed Bill Clinton for starting to expand NATO further eastwards toward the Russian Federation. Cohen said, “The short but essential answer is Washington’s decision, taken by President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, to expand NATO eastward from Germany and eventually to Ukraine itself. Ever since, both Democrats and Republicans have insisted that Ukraine is a “vital US national interest.” Those of us who opposed that folly warned it would lead to dangerous conflicts with Moscow, conceivably even war. Imagine Washington’s reaction, we pointed out, if Russian military bases began to appear on Canada’s or Mexico’s borders with America. We were not wrong: An estimated 13,000 souls have already died in the Ukrainian-Russian war in the Donbass and some 2 million people have been displaced.”
China should be careful because America and Japan (notably former leader Shinzo Abe who remains potent within the LDP) are equally saying, Taiwan is a “vital interest.” Hence, President Joe Biden and nationalists in Japan are increasingly seeking to contain China. Therefore, military arms from America keep on flowing to Taiwan while Japan plays the anti-China and anti-Russia card in Asia and further afield.
Modern Tokyo Times recently said, “Unlike South Korea, despite South Korea also having American military bases, Japan is too involved in America’s intrigues. This notably concerns the containment of China. However, with America endlessly implementing anti-Russian Federation policies, Japan is being dragged into the web of Washington by stealth. Hence, concerning Taiwan, Japan is emboldened by America’s increasing anti-China sentiment to now view Taiwan to be a national security concern for Japan.”
Western and Japanese media propaganda (along with increased military support to Ukraine) are boosting anti-Russian Federation forces in Scandinavia and throughout the European Union to the detriment of Moscow. Thus Scandinavian nations are increasingly looking to join NATO. Therefore, events in Finland concerning NATO membership – especially concerning the geopolitical angle – will further increase tensions with the Russian Federation and bodes ill for Europe.
In the Western and Japan parallel universe, China and the Russian Federation are expanding far from the geopolitical concerns of both nations.
Yet, in reality, endless NATO expansion, Western military arms aimed at containing China and the Russian Federation, AUKUS, the containment of China, economic sanctions on the Russian Federation (no economic sanctions on America for Agent Orange on Vietnam to Iraq and Libya), and Japan’s nationalist rhetoric towards China and the Russian Federation are creating international tensions that haven’t been witnessed on this scale for many decades.
The Russian Federation faces NATO expansion and American military troops from Poland to the Baltic nations – to American troops in Japan and South Korea near the Russian Far East. This is the reality that the Russian Federation faces.
Japan is the main anti-China and anti-Russia nation in the whole of Asia. Hence, the policy of the LDP ruling party is to distract from three squandered economic decades – by playing the “nationalist card.” Therefore, nationalism and agitating against China and the Russian Federation serve the interests of America and the nationalist rhetoric of the LDP in recent times.
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