While political and media attention has focussed on Brexit and on the possibilities of further fragmentation of the EU, Nato, wearing blinkers as usual, increases its presence and influence in Europe. The [Nato] Secretary General, Stoltenberg, having acknowledged “the British people have decided to leave the European Union” assures that “the United Kingdom will continue to play a leading role in Nato”. Thus he stresses that, faced with growing instability and uncertainty, “Nato is more important than ever as a platform for cooperation between European allies and Europe and North America”.

Whereas the EU deteriorates and fragments, both due to massive rebellious popular sectors damaged by “community” policies and the effect of internal rivalries, Nato positions itself, more explicitly than ever, on the basis of union between European states. These are thus coupled and subordinated even further to the United States. This strengthens US leadership in this Alliance.

The Nato Heads of State and Governments Summit which will take place in Warsaw between 8-9 July, has been prepared by a meeting (13-14 June) between Defense Ministers, enlarged to include Ukraine, even though the latter is not officially part of Nato. The meeting resolved to increase the “advanced presence” in Eastern Europe, on the border with Russia, deploying a rotation of four multinational battalions in the Baltic States and Poland.

Such a formation may be rapidly strengthened. This had been made clear by a drill of the “Spearhead Force” during which about a thousand soldiers and 400 military vehicles were transferred from Spain to Poland in four days. To achieve this objective, it was decided to increase Nato’s naval presence in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, bordering Russian territorial waters. At the same time, Nato will project more military forces, including Awacs radar planes, in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Africa.

At this meeting, the Defense Ministers have undertaken to increase the 2016 Nato military expenditure (that, for the defence budgets alone, amounts to more than half the global expenditure) by another 3 billion dollars, and continues to increase it in coming years. Such is the matrix of the upcoming Warsaw Summit, focused around the following three key objectives:

-        “to strengthen deterrence” (i.e. Nato Nuclear Forces in Europe);

-        “to project stability beyond the borders of the Alliance” (i.e. bring military forces into the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Afghanistan);

-        “to expand cooperation with the EU” (i.e. further integration of European forces in US-led NATO)

The EU crisis that surfaced with Brexit, facilitates Washington’s plans: to take Nato to a higher level, by establishing an EU/US military, political and economic block (through the TTIP), still under US lead. [This will act as a counterweight] to the emerging Euroasian area, based on a Russia/China alliance. In such a context, Prime Minister Renzi’s declaration at the San Petersburg Forum, “the word Cold War is outside history and reality; the EU and Russia are returning to be the best neighbours”, is tragically absurd.

The axing of the Russia-Italy South Stream gas pipeline and the sanctions against Russia, both prescribed by Washington, have already caused Italy to incur a loss of several billion euros. Furthermore, the new contracts signed at St Petersburg can rupture at any moment on a terrain threatened by Nato escalation against Russia. Governor Renzi participates in this. So while he declares the Cold War to be outside reality, he collaborates in deploying in Italy, new US nuclear bombs to attack Russia.

Courtesy Voltaire Network; Translation Anoosha Boralessa

Source: Il Manifesto (Italy)

http://www.voltairenet.org/article192609.html