More About NATO

Georgia is a snall, rather remote, country, physically the size of the Irish Republic, nestling between the Soviet Union, Turkey, and Iran. Why would NATO be so anxious to extend membership to this country?

I suggest that first we have to recognise that NATO has come a long way since Western Europe cowered under its umbrella. Few, if any, Europeans feel threatened by Russia, or anybody else, so that I suspect that they do not really have any great notion of it, except as some amorphous group which acts in a protective fashion. I think that it is always unfortunate when ordinary citizens allow themselves to lose sight of why their governments are doing certain things, and of the devices, or institutions, they are using. I think that the reason Georgia is being wooed as a prospective member of NATO is not because the West is threatened by Russia anymore, but because of its need for natural resources.

Western Europe has a great need for oil and natural gas, much of the gas coming from Russia, which maximises the price, and sometimes can act in an apparently capricious manner. Kazakhstan, a former Russian republic, east of the Caspian Sea, has vast reserves of natural gas, which it is ready to supply to the West. This gas could be supplied through Russia, which would add stiff premiums, or it could be shipped by pipeline through Georgia, and this is the current intention.

I have no problem with people making money, and no desire to pay more to heat my home than is necessary, but I think we should be aware of what our leaders are doing, in our name, and why they are doing it. There is one additional aspect I would like to address another day. It is the effect on the people who live in these areas of contest.