George Kennan sobre a expansão exagerada e inconsequente da OTAN nos anos 1990

From:

This Is Putin’s War. But America and NATO Aren’t Innocent Bystanders.

Thomas L. Friedman

The New York Times – 22/02/2022

 George Kennan, the architect of America’s successful containment of the Soviet Union, joined the State Department in 1926 and served as U.S. ambassador to Moscow in 1952 (declared “personna non grata” by Stalin himself).

 Kennan was arguably America’s greatest expert on Russia. Though 94 at the time and frail of voice, he was sharp of mind when I (Tom Friedman) asked for his opinion of NATO expansion. I am going to share Kennan’s whole answer:

 

“I think it is the beginning of a new cold war. I think the Russians will gradually react quite adversely and it will affect their policies. I think it is a tragic mistake. There was no reason for this whatsoever. No one was threatening anybody else. This expansion would make the founding fathers of this country turn overnate debate was. I was particularly bothered by the references to Russia as a country dying to attack Western Europe.

“Don’t people understand? Our differences in the Cold War were with the Soviet Communist regime. And now we are turning our backs on the very people who mounted the greatest bloodless revolution in history to remove that Soviet regime. And Russia’s democracy is as far advanced, if not farther, as any of these countries we’ve just signed up to defend from Russia. Of course there is going to be a bad reaction from Russia, and then [the NATO expanders] will say that we always told you that is how the Russians are — but this is just wrong.”

It’s EXACTLY what has happened.”