Editor,
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was signed in 1949, early in the Cold War era, to provide for defense of member nations against a Russian invasion. It calls for every member nation to defend every other member country in the event of an attack. Thirty-one countries agreed to spend at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on NATO defense. In fact, some spend more and some spend less.
Member countries currently include Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, The Netherlands, New Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey and Sweden (recently approved for membership), plus the USA. Excluding the population of the USA, some 620 million people live in NATO member countries. This alliance provides a formidable barrier to aggression from otherwise ambitious dictators, particularly Vladimir Putin.
Recently, in South Carolina, Donald Trump spoke about his intent to encourage invasion of our closest allies by the murderous Putin regime. This is much more than a reckless statement, it is an invitation to start a third world war.
Both the U.S. and Canada, which share a common border, are founding members of the NATO alliance. As major contributors to NATO, the U.S. and Canada are major contributors to sustained international peace and security and as such, together with other NATO member nations, are cornerstones of North American security and defense policy. It is fortunate that last year an amendment to U.S. law regarding NATO membership became law. It now requires that a vote of two-thirds of the Senate is required in order to allow the President to suspend, terminate or withdraw U.S. membership in NATO.
If Putin accepts Trump’s invitation to invade a NATO member country we would potentially see the start of World War III. All NATO members, including the USA, would become entangled in a brutal and bloody war with Russia with a high potential to lead the world into nuclear devastation. This we cannot risk. NATO is the only secure deterrent to an aggressive Russian regime.
Joerg Bleeck
La Center
