We restarted the Cold War: The real story about the NATO buildup that the New York Times won’t

[newthinking]

We restarted the Cold War: The real story about the NATO buildup that the
New York Times won’t tell you

Our leaders and media push time-worn nonsense about American innocence, while taking aggressive moves.
Look out
Patrick L. Smith

Salon Magazine

http://www.salon.com/2015/06/25/we_restarted_the_cold_war_the_real_story_about_the_nato_buildup_that_the_new_york_times_wont_tell_you/


Vladimir Putin, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter (Credit: Reuters/RIA Novosti/Jonathan Ernst/Photo montage by Salon)

Have you picked up on the new trope du jour? We are all encouraged to bask in our innocence as we lament the advent of a new Cold War. The thought has been in the wind for more than a year, of course, at least among some of us. But we witness a significant turn, and I hope this same some of us are paying attention.

As of this week, leaders who know nothing about leading, thinkers who do not think and opinion-shaping poseurs such as Tom Friedman are confident enough in their case to sally forth with it: The Cold War returns, the Russians have restarted it and we must do the right thing—the right thing being to bring NATO troops and materiel up to Russia’s borders, pandering to the paranoia of the former Soviet satellites as if they alone have access to some truth not available to the rest of us.

James Stavridis, the former admiral and NATO commander, quoted in Wednesday’s New York Times: “I don’t think we’re in the Cold War again—yet. I can kind of see it from here.”

I can kind of see it, too, Admiral, and cannot be surprised: NATO has missed the Cold War since the Wall came down and the Pentagon’s creature in Europe commenced a quarter-century of wandering in search of useful enemies. At last, the very best of them is back.

The theme of new Russian aggression sounded over the past couple of months reeked of orchestration from the first, as suggested in this space when it was first sounded. It was too consistent in language, tone and implication, whether it came from the Pentagon, NATO or Times news reports—which are, naturally, based on Pentagon and NATO sources.

Anything counted: Russia’s military exercises within its own borders were aggressive. Russian air defense systems on its borders were aggressive. Russia’s military presence in Kaliningrad, Russian territory lying between Lithuania and Poland, was an aggressive threat.

Full story:

http://www.salon.com/2015/06/25/we_restarted_the_cold_war_the_real_story_about_the_nato_buildup_that_the_new_york_times_wont_tell_you/

[stonecutter357]

1. fuck putin.....

[newfie11]

2. Thanks for posting this

Now we are moving troops into Poland etc!!! I guess the MIC won't be happy until the entire world is smoldering!

[Nitram]

3. I think you're fogetting the Berlin Wall.

[zeemike]

4. Yep we miss the cold war.

And want to create it all over again by manufacturing another evil empire.
What folly that is. But their greed knows no bounds.

[bemildred]

5. Yep.

You have to remember that guys like Ash Carter, this is about all they know how to do.

But it is vanilla US politics, and it always has been, to pick fights. We are the most successful colonial enterprise in history, and it shows.

[MattSh]

6. Well, you can have Social Security OR a New Cold War.

The choice has been made for you.

[FlatBaroque]

7. The Empire of Chaos has but one objective

It is ti deliver to Russia the same gifts of Democracy that have delivered to many countries in the past, and most recently to Iraq, Syria, Ukraine and Libya. The goal is to detroy the Russian economy, achieve regime change and place a drunk like Yeltsin in power, balkanize the country and steal their resources. It is no more complicated than that.

[yurbud]

8. I don't think the former Soviet satellites can twist our government's arm

anymore than neighbors of Grenada twisted Reagan's arm to get him to invade Grenada.