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The Berlin Wall fell, the Soviet Union imploded, perestroika opened another chapter of Russian history and a new world order took place. However, the military alliance remained there, witnessing a world that no longer needed it as it had been conceived.
The verbal agreement that the governments of the United States and Russia had agreed upon was based on the artigist narrative of "undefeated". neither winners ", although each of the parties had their own interpretations of the bipolar end of the world. In addition, the authorities of both countries agreed that the new Russia would have no reason to fear influencing the Western bloc, including through NATO, in the United States. hinterland of the former Soviet Union (the area of influence of the Pact).
However, this is not done according to the agreement and since the end of the war, NATO has continued to grow and move eastward. From 1999 to today, the military alliance added 13 new members (nearly half of those it had before the reunification of Berlin), including Poland and Hungary, two of Most important states of Eastern Europe.
The growth of the organization was not in agreement with the new role assumed by the alliance in a context of peace for Europe, as claimed by the project liberal of the European Union. And although NATO has made some interventions on European soil (in 1995 in Bosnia against Serbian forces and in 1999 in Kosovo), it has become a bureaucratic elephant of another time funded mainly by states -United.
The imbalance between Washington and Washington of its European partners has been a cause of complaint from all US presidents since the departure of Ronald Reagan, but it is Donald Trump who has crushed his cry to heaven. The controversial president even threatened to leave the institution during his election campaign.
But he did not do it and, instead, he dedicated himself to putting pressure on his European partners so that they bring more resources. This happened again on Tuesday at the NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government in Brussels.
Trump proposed that member countries increase military spending to 4% of their respective GDP, against 2% agreed at the Welsh summit in 2014.
"During the President's comments today at the summit of NATO has suggested that countries respect their commitment to allocate 2% of their GDP to defense spending, but also to increase it to 4%, "spokeswoman Efe told reporters. from the White House, Sarah Huckabee Sanders
. However, this year only eight of the 29 allies will achieve this goal and it is expected that by 2024 this figure will reach 15.
For the US government, the reason for being the organization is more current than ever and its budget increase requests curiously justified for the same reason that was created almost seven decades ago: Russia.
In fact, Trump again criticized Wednesday the Nord Stream 2 project, a pipeline that would double the Russian gas distribution capacity in Europe. tra on the Baltic Sea. The project, championed by Germany, was part of the bilateral meeting between the US President and his German counterpart, Angela Merkel (see box).
The atmosphere of the encounter between the two was not particularly tense, despite the fact that on his arrival for two days from the NATO summit in Brussels, Trump charged harshly against Germany, which he considered a "prisoner" of Russia for his "They pay billions of dollars to Russia [por su gas] and we must defend them against Russia", has he says, establishing a link between trade and security.
It will continue to grow
NATO has invited Macedonia to start accession negotiations, which would make this Balkan country the 30th member of the Atlantic Alliance
"We agreed to invite the Skopje government to start accession negotiations." from NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, at the end of a working meeting.
The former Norwegian prime minister however said that accession would take place "when all national procedures have been completed." States to finalize the agreement on the name "of the country." [19659002] The Macedonian government resolved a 27-year dispute with Athens in mid-June, in agreement with the Greek government that the name of his country would be "Republic of Macedonia" North. "
This name, ratified by the Macedonian Parliament, still has to be validated during a referendum in this country and a constitutional reform must be carried out. The conservative opposition warned that she would ask "No".
In exchange for this agreement, Skopie hoped to obtain a swift opening of negotiations for membership of the European Union (EU), as well as this invitation to join NATO. [19659002] The last NATO membership dates back to 2017, when another country of the former Yugoslavia, Montenegro, joined the transatlantic organization
The North Stream 2 Generates Divisions
The Nord Stream 2 Pipeline, Implementation of which is scheduled for the beginning of 2020 and has a capacity of 55 000 million cubic meters per year, which will double the capacity of the pipeline. 39, current Nord Stream.
The trip of the two will be the same. From the Baltic coast of Russia to Germany. These two countries, as well as Sweden and Finland, have already given their approval for the project that is crossing its waters, but Denmark is still missing. However, Poland and Eastern countries have already expressed their opposition to the project.
The road that crosses the Baltic Sea prevents the distribution of Russian hydrocarbons from crossing the pipelines that pass through Ukraine, a country with which Moscow has a tense relationship and which it has torn apart. 2014 in the Crimean peninsula.
Quarter of 2018, Nord Stream became the main entrance of Russian gas to the European Union (EU), with 36% compared to 34% that passed through Ukraine, according to the data from the European Commission.
Source: The Observer and the Agencies
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