NATO as an apparatus of aggression and occupation for US imperialism

Contrary to what is written in its founding treaty and press releases, and what its defenders claim, NATO is not an ordinary defense and security organization. It is much more than that. It is a multi-dimensional, multi-faceted organization with ideological, political-economic, and class-based preferences. Moreover, as an organization from the early Cold War period, although its primary purpose was defined as being "against the USSR and communism," it is, far beyond that, an organization that serves to keep alliance member countries in line with the US and under US control. Thanks to NATO, the US has established great influence not only over the defense and security policies and foreign policies of member countries, but also over their domestic politics, economic policies, educational institutions, universities, academies, think tanks, trade unions, and cultural industries.

NATO, which is an apparatus of aggression and occupation for US imperialism, carried out its first out-of-area military operation after the Cold War in the mid-1990s in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Balkans. This was followed by the intervention in Kosovo in 1999. In the Gulf War of 1990–1991, during the US attack on Iraq, NATO as an alliance and as an institution was not directly involved. There were coalition forces led by the US, which included many NATO members. At that time, NATO provided an air defense system to Turkey but did not directly attack Iraq militarily.

In those years, since not even 10 years had passed since the end of the Cold War in 1991, all liberals and neo-liberals were extolling the virtues of a single-focus, single-center world order (Note: not a unipolar world order, because at least two poles are required for there to be poles. Calling it unipolar is incorrect both linguistically and logically). The whirlwind of liberalism, capitalism, post-modernism, globalization, and the New World Order was blowing. The US had won. The USSR had disintegrated. The Warsaw Pact had collapsed. The Eastern Bloc had become history. The Berlin Wall had fallen. Socialism and communism had been defeated.

Under those conditions, since NATO had no reason for existence, logically, NATO should also have become history. Because its purpose was being questioned. The question of who it would protect against whom was being asked. For this reason, NATO was practically looking for an enemy, or even enemies. And it found them.

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AND WEAPONS OF MASS PERSUASION

NATO, which did not take action immediately while Yugoslavia was being dismantled, people were being massacred, and ethnic cleansing and mass rape were taking place, but instead remained a spectator, waiting for the right time, place, and conditions, took action at the time and under the conditions desired by US imperialism and gave the world the following message. NATO declared to the world that it now had tasks such as "peace-building, peacekeeping, and combating radical movements and terrorism." This, of course, coincided with the rhetoric of the US, as the founding leader of NATO, regarding "human rights, freedom, democracy, and the civilized world." Because the US saw itself as the protector of these values and concepts. In the name of these concepts, and hiding behind them, it attacked, bombed, and occupied other countries. It even created problems and disputes in countries it had its eye on, prepared the ground for ethnic, religious, and sectarian conflicts, encouraged and provoked these conflicts, and then went in claiming it would solve these problems and provide stability, occupying those countries.

There were millions of people in the world who believed these lies of the US. Especially the US media, media outlets supported by the US around the world, scientists, non-governmental organizations, and think tanks acted almost like weapons of mass persuasion to convince and deceive people.

The US became so arrogant in this policy that US Presidents began to say that this task was not just a political duty for them, but a religious, divine, and moral responsibility far beyond that. The US told this lie in Iraq as well as in Yugoslavia. While Yugoslavia was being dismantled, NATO tried to give the image and message that "as an alliance whose only Muslim member is Turkey, it was defending Muslim Bosniaks and Muslim Kosovars against Christian Serbs, and protecting the rightful and the oppressed against the unjust and the oppressor."

AS THE ATLANTIC SYSTEM COLLAPSES

Years have passed. The balance of power in the world has changed. The imperialist dominance and hegemonic capability of the US have eroded and continue to erode. Russia, especially after Putin came to power, recovered rapidly starting in the 2000s. It consolidated its influence, starting from its immediate neighborhood. China, along with its economic power, has increased its political, military, scientific, and technological power. It has become the US's greatest rival and the adversary that worries the US the most. In the Atlantic system, where the US itself set the rules and established the institutions, there are deep disagreements within the Western alliance, parallel to the dissolution and loss of power. Under these conditions, the US cannot manage the deep fault lines and social-class contradictions within itself, and it is also experiencing major problems with its allies. The intention to make Canada a state, to annex Greenland, which is dependent on Denmark, to US territory, its barbarism in Venezuela and Palestine, its joint attack with Israel on Iran, and its threats against Cuba should be interpreted from this perspective.

In the past, at least in appearance, an imperialist state would lie to justify, rationalize, and legitimize its occupation, aggression, plunder, and barbarism in its own way. For example, when the US invaded Afghanistan immediately after the September 11 attacks in 2001, it used the fact that Osama Bin Laden, the Saudi Arabian leader of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization, lived in Afghanistan as a justification for the invasion. Similarly, when the US invaded Iraq in 2003, it told the lie that "Saddam Hussein has chemical weapons, weapons of mass destruction." German dictator Adolf Hitler, when invading Poland in 1939, and Italian dictator Mussolini, when invading Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1935, had listed justifications, even if fabricated, and put forward historical, political, and geopolitical excuses.

Today, US imperialism does not even feel the need to tell such lies or produce justifications. While US President Trump says they could withdraw from NATO, he scolds NATO member countries and belittles European leaders with arrogant expressions.

Therefore, one must look at NATO not by reading what is written in its founding treaty, but by grasping what the needs of US imperialism are.