More NATO Expansion Eastward

Stratfor Global Intelligence Analysis writes: 

NATO  [...] its expansion plans during NATO's 50th anniversary summit
held in Washington in April, when the alliance adopted a
Membership Action Plan. The plan was designed to intensify
military cooperation with nine aspirant states -- Romania,
Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovakia,
Macedonia and Albania -- in order to prepare these countries for
future membership.  Although the recent summit did not formally
mention eventual modification of the accession schedule in
connection to the assistance provided by some of these countries
to NATO during the Kosovo crisis, the alliance has made numerous
statements implying that this would occur.  In particular, NATO
told Romania, Bulgaria, and Slovakia -- the countries that have
promised to open their territories to the transportation of NATO
troops and military supplies -- that their help was greatly
appreciated and would not be forgotten in connection with NATO's
expansion.


NATO's new mission is another fundamental issue to be confronted
following the Kosovo crisis.  The Washington summit expanded
NATO's strategic framework beyond the founding principle of
mutual defense.  The new framework includes an assertion that
NATO should develop a capability to avert regional conflicts
taking place beyond NATO's borders.  In the wake of the U.S.-led
intervention in Yugoslavia, it is highly likely that some NATO
members will seek to reconsider this new mission.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                   ANDRE GUNDER FRANK
250 Kensington Ave - Apt 608     Tel: 1-514-933 2539    
Westmount/Montreal PQ/QC         Fax: 1-514-933 6445 
Canada H3Z 2G8              e-mail:agfrank@chass.utoronto.ca 

My Personal/Professional Home Page> http://www.whc.neu.edu/gunder.html
My NATO/Kosovo Page> http://csf.colorado.edu/archive/agfrank/nato_kosovo/       
My professional/personal conclusion is the same as Pogo's - 
            We have met the enemy, and it is US 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~