NATO was formed in 1949 because of the threat from the communist bloc, especially the Soviet Union. All of that is ended now. Why, then, has NATO not also ended? The true answer is ugly. Here it is:
All Americans owe a debt of deep gratitude to George Washington, our first leader, who said, in his 1796 Farewell Address as our first president:
"Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humor or caprice? It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world; so far, I mean, as we are now at liberty to do it; for let me not be understood as capable of patronizing infidelity to existing engagements. I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is always the best policy. I repeat it, therefore, let those engagements be observed in their genuine sense. But, in my opinion, it is unnecessary and would be unwise to extend them. Taking care always to keep ourselves by suitable establishments on a respectable defensive posture, we may safely trust to temporary alliances for extraordinary emergencies. Harmony, liberal intercourse with all nations, are recommended by policy, humanity, and interest. But even our commercial policy should hold an equal and impartial hand; neither seeking nor granting exclusive favors or preferences."
We violate that now in so many ways, all to our harm (though to the great benefit of our aristocracy, who own and control our international corporations). "Granting exclusive favors or preferences" is what our existing international-trade treaties, such as NAFTA, are all about (other than about increasing the profits of U.S. corporations by lowering the wages of U.S. workers by shipping those jobs to lower-wage countries or "hollowing out" the U.S. class-structure into an aristocracy versus impoverished workers who are then further insulted by being forced to pay the taxes to support their own food stamps since the taxes on the aristocrats are going down not up, and the aristocracy thus gets the best of both worlds: lower taxes, and higher profits).
Even worse, President Obama now is trying to extend such trade-favoritism to countries surrounding Russia and China, in a hostile move against them that renews the Cold War against communism -- as if Russia and China were still communist.
And, worst of all, he is even trying to goad Russia into possibly a hot war by bringing its next-door neighbor, Ukraine, into NATO so as to provide the first-strike, surprise-attack, nuclear capability, of annihilating Moscow within only ten minutes of missile-launch -- too little time for Russia to be able to launch its own weapons in retaliation. That's what our coup in Kiev on February 22nd was actually all about -- installing a Ukrainian regime that seeks (and that will be eagerly granted) NATO membership.
So: why does NATO still exist? If it did not exist, then the biggest market for American "defense" contractors would not exist: NATO. It's not really about defense at all.
George Washington thus was wrong about one thing: When he said that European nations were endangering the United States, he was not even imagining a situation in which the threat would be reversed, and when it would instead become the U.S. itself endangering not only Europe, but the entire world. This has now gotten way beyond even George Washington's worst nightmare.
People around the world now consider the United States to be the biggest threat to world peace. They are right.
The U.S. regime can say "Look at the threat from Al Qaeda in Iraq," but before we invaded there in 2003, Al Qaeda was not in Iraq: the dictator there, Saddam Hussein, wouldn't permit them there. We (our aristocracy, that is) brought Al Qaeda into Iraq.
The American people are being lied to, and should go on strike against the lying regime and its aristocracy's "news" media, that have successfully fooled the overwhelming majority of the public inside the country -- though not outside. It's just as bad under Barack Obama as it was under George W. Bush, both of whom represent the nation's aristocracy, not its public. The situation has reached a drastic stage.
NATO must be abolished.
George Washington was right about that.
And the need is now urgent.
And the U.S. must immediately cease and desist and reverse its program of surrounding Russia with nuclear weapons for a first-strike or "nuclear primacy" capability. It is an outrage and a scandal beyond imagining -- and it is not imaginary.
It is policy -- not words, but actions.
George Washington would be rolling over in his grave to know about it.
This country has fundamentally changed -- and not for the better.
The time is late, but not yet too late.
This is not crying "Wolf!" in a crowded theater. It is crying "Fire!" when there still is time to prevent it from becoming a general conflagration.
The public have been deceived, and must become undeceived immediately. The links hereto are thus provided for documentation. The matter is serious; so, serious skepticism is warranted, not only of the claims here, but of the aristocratic regime itself, and of its "news" media. Their lying that got us into Iraq was just the start; the next stage would be far worse. It must be prevented. It must be blocked.
The lying must stop. Now.
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Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of They're Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRIST'S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.