Guardian UK: Distracted and weakened, Nato is lost

[marmar]

Distracted and weakened, Nato is lost
The alliance, influenced by the US, is chasing phantom enemies. Meanwhile in Afghanistan, the real ones prevail

Richard Norton-Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday August 19 2008 22:00 BST



A curious conundrum is surrounding Nato. Georgia wants to join, so does half of Ukraine. Russia complains that it is being encircled by the US-dominated military alliance. Moscow's attitude is even less surprising in light of the recent agreement between Washington and Warsaw to base US missiles in Poland.

Under the original plan, as part of America's missile defence against what it calls a future threat from Iran, the US proposed to base 10 missile interceptor rockets in Poland. Faced with this destabilising initiative, Poland then demanded "enhanced" security protection – in case, it said, Russia matched its hostile rhetoric with hostile action. Last week, at the height of the crisis between Georgia and Russia, the US agreed to base Patriot air defence missiles in Poland, manned by a hundred US troops. These were needed, it was argued, in case Russia decided to attack the interceptors.

Moscow responded by describing the US-Polish deal as provocative, and one that now certainly made Poland a potential target. The other part of the US project – the plan to build in the Czech Republic a large early warning radar of the kind the US has upgraded at Fylingdales in North Yorkshire – is the subject of heated debate in that country.

Yet in an unprecedented test of its credibility, Nato appears to be losing the first ground war it has conducted in its 59-year history. In Afghanistan, the world's mightiest military alliance is struggling to beat the Taliban, an irregular guerrilla force armed with hand-held rockets and rifles.

The Taliban and its supporters are mounting attacks across an increasingly large area and encroaching closer and closer to Kabul, the capital, as the killing reported today of 10 French soldiers in a fierce battle dramatically demonstrated. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/19/nato.russia