For NATO the war in Ukraine meant a revival in its fortunes. It meant a return to
the Cold War. All thanks to the Putin regime's invasion of Ukraine. In fact,Emmanuel Macron, President of France, described NATO as 'brain dead' in 2019.---- Above all, it is the USA that most profits from the war. NATO has reneweditself and re-united under American tutelage. Many countries in Europe haveannounced their determination to increase military spending and to buy arms fromAmerica. This was always one of the hidden functions of NATO. The defence budgetof the USA stands at a staggering $800 million a year. ----- In addition, the USAis looking for markets for its gas, wheat and maize, ready to supply it tocountries previously reliant on Russia or the Ukraine. This has now beenfacilitated by economic sanctions on Russia.The United States wants western European countries to share the burden ofmilitary expenditure. They already have 70,000 troops on the European continent,which are ready to be raised to 100,000 if the situation in Ukraine worsens.There is a common command between the American forces and NATO, with an Americangeneral at the top, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). This iscurrently General Christopher G. Cavoli. The Americans have medium range nuclearweapons stored in Germany under American control.NATO increased its rapid reaction troops from 40,000 to 300,000 in June 2022.This was justified by NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg as Russia 'poses adirect threat to our security, to our values, to the rules-based internationalorder'.Combat units based in the countries nearest to Russia, especially the Balticstates, have been boosted, with thousands of troops on standby further west. NATOhas reinforced its eight international battalions, from the Baltic states toRomania. France, as part of NATO, has taken responsibility for 'enhanced forwardpresence' in Romania, with a Franco-Belgian battalion with armoured vehicles.Romania is now seen by the French state as a new theatre of operations.Incidentally, the journalists of the Disclose group have shown that France isselling arms to both sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.It is now no longer easy to talk about reductions in defence budgets, nor fortotal or partial withdrawal from NATO, nor to criticise the arms industries.France, previously aloof from NATO under De Gaulle, is now an active partnerwithin NATO. Germany has poured a staggering 100 billion euros into its defencebudget and could end up with the biggest army in western Europe. Historicallyneutral countries like Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Ireland and Austria are nowvocally taking sides.NATO is now supplying Ukraine with armaments, going from missile launchers anddrones to tanks and armoured cars in an increasing escalation. Neither Russia norNATO are willing to give way and this threatens further escalation.Countries in the South are more sceptical about the conflict, seeing a failure toput the wars in Yemen and Tigre on the same footing as the war in Ukraine. India,Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey and Indonesia are among the most sceptical.In Western Europe and the USA, public opinion is being shaped by an unrelentingbarrage of propaganda in the media in order to create an acceptance of militaryescalation. King Charles has been wheeled out on the first anniversary of theRussian invasion to reinforce the message of Sunak and co.The USA and NATO want to bring about regime change in Russia through increasingeconomic sanctions, in tandem with a proxy war with Russia in the Ukraine, as aresult of which both the Ukrainian and Russian working classes are the maincasualties. Ukraine will be supplied with just enough military equipment not tolose the war.The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his leading aide, AndriyYermak, have pledged that all territory taken by Russia must be retaken. Thisincludes Crimea and Donbas. The USA knows full well that this is beyond thecapabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces. The USA and its allies do not want tobe too deeply enmired in Ukraine, particularly given the unfavourable globaleconomic situation. They are prepared to let Ukraine retake more territory, butthen force it to go to the negotiating table with Russia.The aim is to weaken Russia as much as possible, and to send out warnings toChina, Russia's equivocal ally. They do not want the conflict to drag on too longas this risks destabilising Europe. They need to concentrate on countering China,seen as the ascending super power and major contender of the USA. Already Bidenhas increased the number of US troops training Taiwanese forces.However, US and NATO strategy in relation to Ukraine is extremely risky and thethreat of World War Three has come a lot closer.Nevertheless, US/NATO strategy has considerably weakened Russia, with as many as60,000 Russian troops killed, 160,000 wounded and 2,000 tanks destroyed. 500,000Russians have fled aboard to avoid fighting in the war. In addition, NATO hasbeen revived, and Germany, France and Italy have been drawn ever more closelyinto NATO.Putin's decision to invade Ukraine has turned out to be a ghastly miscalculation.In the UK, both the Tories and Starmer's Labour are firmly in favour of supplyingarms to Ukraine. On the left, war fever has split the Labour left, causing a riftwithin the Campaign group of Labour MPs. So called left Labour MPs like CliveLewis and John McDonnell are calling for the arming of Ukraine, breaking withJeremy Corbyn. Various Trotskyist groups are also following this line, likeAnticapitalist Resistance and Alliance for Workers Liberty.On the other hand, we have the British cheerleaders for the Putin regime like theYoung Communist League, New Communist Party, the Workers Party led by GeorgeGalloway, and other nasty little Stalinist outfits.Even among what passes for the anarchist movement in Britain, support for armingUkraine is fairly widespread. Considering previous haemorrhaging of anarchiststowards the Labour Party during the Corbyn frenzy, and the totally uncriticalsupport for the Kurdish PKK, this is not surprising. But a publication likeFreedom, which maintained an internationalist approach during two World Wars, isnow an enthusiast for the arming of Ukraine. As is the Anarchist Federation, oneof whose leading members ranted about "the mass betrayal of anti-authoritarianwarfighters in Ukraine by the apologists for Russian imperial aggression,"revolutionary defeatists" and the pro-capitulation pacifists."As Alex Alder notes in his article British Anarchism Succumbs to War Fever "Insupporting Ukraine, British anarchists have found themselves on the side of NATO,an imperialist military alliance that defends the interests of the corecapitalist nations in Europe and North America. But rather than take this as anopportunity to repudiate NATO, acknowledging a mere coincidence of interests inthis particular situation, anarchists in Britain have wavered in theiropposition, sympathising with Western imperialism as a check on Russian imperialism."For us, it is not a question of taking sides, either with the heinous andkleptocratic regime in Russia or with the USA and its allies. We should encourageall actions against the arms industries, including support for Campaign Againstthe Arms Trade and protests at arms fairs, as well as boycotts, strikes anddirect action against the arms industries. Anti-militarist propaganda must besupported and encouraged as should the No War but the Class War groups. We shouldsupport and publicise the actions of anti-militarists, war resisters, draftdodgers, conscientious objectors and deserters in the war zones, in both Russiaand Ukraine. We should attempt to link the burgeoning class struggle in Britainto the struggles of the working class in Russia and Ukraine. We should not fallvictim to the war fever, countering it with internationalism and the need tofight the enemy, the boss class, both globally and at home.https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2023/02/28/the-war-in-ukraine-military-escalation-and-nato/_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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