| First, just as Turkey and Greece are prevented from attacking one another because they are both in NATO, Russian membership would tend to stabilize the status quo. Second, it is reasonable that we should act in alliance with friendly nations, and we should not have to build ad- hoc coalitions from scratch every time we attack a country, like Iraq or Afghanistan. NATO provides the core of any coalition we feel we need, and also ensures forward deployment and basing rights nearer to hotspot (Germany rather than Florida, for example). Third, there is still enough instability in the Middle East and Africa, and on the periphery of NATO (in the Balkans) to warrant joint security interests in that part of the world. The prospect of the Caspian pipeline only increases concern about Central Asia, and it would be preferable for Russia not to deal with instability there unilaterally. Fourth, most of our trade is with Europe, in fact, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Therefore, we have a particular interest in not having the European Union take shape to be overly competitive with the United States. NATO is the main way we ensure closeness to Europe, and sensitivity to alliance...... |
