Calling NATO a "Unique Diplomatic Force Multiplier"
- Nick Lin -
Demonstration in Washington, DC, March 30, 2019, as NATO foreign
ministers meet to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of NATO on
April 4, 1949.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg accepted Foreign
Policy magazine's ''Diplomat of the Year'' award at a ceremony in
Washington, DC, on November 12. In accepting the award from
editor-in-chief Jonathan Tepperman, Stoltenberg made a case for
"relentless transatlantic diplomacy, backed by credible transatlantic
defence." He called NATO "a unique diplomatic 'force multiplier,'" and
claimed that "when 29 nations speak with one voice, their voice is more
powerful than any other in the world."
 These remarks are self-serving in the
extreme. The term "force multiplier" pertains to the field of military
combat. The U.S. Department of Defense defines it as follows: "A
capability that, when added to and employed by a combat force,
significantly increases the combat potential of that force and thus
enhances the probability of successful mission accomplishment." This is
the opposite of diplomacy, where differences are resolved through
peaceful means for mutual benefit. According to the NATO Secretary
General, NATO's coercive threat of force strengthens and is
essential to effective diplomacy.
In his acceptance speech, Stoltenberg spoke at length to
justify NATO's war preparations, claiming military threats to NATO
countries where none exist. He highlighted NATO's aggressive
encirclement of Russia with its massive military buildup in eastern
Europe: "[O]ur diplomatic efforts can only be effective if we engage
Russia from a position of credible deterrence and credible defence." He
went on to suggest that China poses a similar threat to NATO countries:
"Diplomacy combined with military strength is also important as we
adapt to a shifting global balance of power. A key driver for this is
China. China will soon have the world's biggest economy. And it already
has the second largest defence budget, investing heavily in new
capabilities." Although China has not been invading other countries and
carrying out coups and regime change, it is said to pose a threat to
NATO countries. Stoltenberg's so-called diplomacy is simply window
dressing to cover up outright aggression that serves the interests of
NATO countries, especially the big powers.
As concerns his assertion that NATO represents "29
nations speak[ing] with one voice [that is] more powerful than any
other in the world," this does not reflect reality. A major split
currently exists in NATO, between the U.S. and the other members, as
the Trump administration considers NATO to be ineffectual and a
hindrance to U.S. aims because it does not function without the U.S.
military and funding. Moreover, 29 countries out of the nearly 200 in
the world is a small minority compared to other international
groupings, such as the Group of 77 or the Non-Aligned Movement.
Furthermore, whereas the Group of 77 and the Non-Aligned Movement
operate within the bounds of the United Nations and the rule of
international law, NATO does not. It is a rogue military alliance that
flouts the rule of international law. Its aggressive activities are
opposed by a majority of the world's peoples, who decry it as the
"North Atlantic Terrorist Organization." Counter to Stoltenberg's
sophistic remarks, reality indicates that NATO serves narrow aggressive
aims and imposes itself on others according to the imperialist doctrine
of "Might Makes Right."
Who or What Is Foreign
Policy Magazine
It is relevant to inquire who or what is Foreign
Policy magazine, which has proclaimed NATO's Secretary General the
"Diplomat of the Year."
Foreign Policy is a U.S. publication, founded in
1970 during the turmoil of the Vietnam War, whose cofounders -- Samuel
P. Huntington and Warren Demian Manshel -- espoused reactionary world
views. Huntingdon was an imperialist ideologue known for his "clash of
civilizations" theory. Manshel was an investment banker, editor,
publisher and diplomat. During 1954-55, he was the director and chief
administrative officer at the Council for Cultural Freedom, an
anti-Communist organization of U.S. and European intellectuals.
Foreign Policy has links to the annual Halifax
International Security Forum (HISF) war conference. Foreign
Policy has been designated a "Media Partner" of the HISF, since
2017 when HISF Vice Chairman Jonathan Tepperman became its
editor-in-chief. That year, Foreign Policy gave Chrystia
Freeland its "Diplomat of the Year" award, the same year she began
spearheading the work of the Lima Group -- a minority of countries
within the Organization of American States -- aimed at foreign
intervention and regime change in Venezuela.
Tepperman originally became involved in the HISF in 2010
when Foreign Affairs, the journal of the U.S. Council on
Foreign Relations, of which he became managing editor in 2011, became a
"media partner" of the HISF.
This article was published in
Volume 49 Number 28 - November 23, 2019
Article Link:
Calling NATO a "Unique Diplomatic Force Multiplier" - Nick Lin
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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