The NATO Summitt: Germany Puts the Brakes on US Expansion Plans

[Heimdallr]

US President George W. Bush wants to bring more Eastern European countries into the military alliance at the upcoming NATO summit. But Germany is thwarting his plans, because of concerns about Ukraine and Georgia -- and in deference to Russia.

A clear signal that things will not go quite as smoothly as Bush had hoped was the discussion among foreign policy and security experts at the Brussels Forum, sponsored by the German Marshall Fund, less than two weeks ago. Moderator Ronald Asmus, who, as a senior official in the Clinton administration in the 1990s, played a key role in the initial push to expand NATO eastward, opened the meeting by calling EU and NATO expansion an historic success. Asmus went on to rave about how the map of Europe had been redrawn, and praised the joint tour de force by Europeans and Americans.

But after his nostalgic excursion into the past, Asmus was forced to segue into a significantly trickier present, one in which the euphoria of new NATO and EU membership has all but disappeared.

Der Spiegel >>> Germany Puts the Brakes on US Expansion Plans


Romania's Ceausescu-era parliament building in Bucharest will host next
week's NATO summit.

[Heimdallr]

Ukraine and Georgia face an uphill battle on Wednesday to persuade NATO nations to put the two ex-Soviet states on the path to membership, as Germany and France lead resistance to their U.S.-backed bids.

In the most explicit expression of France's skepticism yet, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Tuesday that Paris would oppose giving Kiev and Tbilisi a MAP to avoid upsetting the balance of power with Russia. Germany shares those objections.

Reuters >>> Ukraine and Georgia face uphill battle on NATO bid


Bush sees prospects for world domination growing dimmer at NATO summitt

[Lucas Corso]

Originally Posted by Heimdallr

Reuters >>> Ukraine and Georgia face uphill battle on NATO bid


Bush sees prospects for world domination growing dimmer at NATO summitt

I hope this opposition will last...