Russia as a member of NATO?

**KGB_resident** · 23-02-2010, 18:11

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100223...20100223142443

Following the speech, Clinton was asked whether she could imagine Russia as a future member of NATO. "Well, I can imagine that but I'm not sure the Russians can imagine that," she replied, causing chuckles.

But what if the Russians would say: yes we can imagine but what about an invitation?

**johnboyzzz** · 23-02-2010, 18:12

We are too busy elsewhere to invade them

**instinct** · 23-02-2010, 18:15

Didnt this come out in Tom clancy's The Bear and the Dragon?

Will rainbow save still the day?

**bullet_catcher** · 23-02-2010, 18:51

The sooner we can all be friends the better. Unfortunately politics gets in the way.

**DesktopCommando** · 23-02-2010, 19:01

thought they were invited years ago ?

**Dunservin** · 23-02-2010, 19:05

Originally Posted by DesktopCommando

thought they were invited years ago ?

That was Partnership for Peace (PfP)

**parapauk** · 23-02-2010, 19:10

If Russia sorts its domestic political issues out over the next ten-fifteen years and (I hope) joins Nato a few years after that, then as far as the UK is concerned, the conventional threat to Britain is gone for good and we and many others can live happily ever after. It would be a hell of a privilege to be alive on that day, if you think about everything that has gone before it.

How to do it? Well there was a report by a Medevev-leaning think-tank released a couple of weeks ago that recommended dismantling the FSB and a host of other internal reforms (do you have a link Serg?). If that could be pushed through, of course making sure Putin had gone for good, and some security system could be worked out to give confidence to the Baltic states, together with a final settlement with regards to Ukraine, it could be done.

**Biped** · 23-02-2010, 19:14

I suspect that once all the countries of the world have all entered into friendly organisations such as this, we will see the end of war, as everyone will be tied to their agreements, a bit like before WW1 . . . . . . oh

**parapauk** · 23-02-2010, 19:16

Originally Posted by Biped

I suspect that once all the countries of the world have all entered into friendly organisations such as this, we will see the end of war, as everyone will be tied to their agreements, a bit like before WW1 . . . . . . oh

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_peace_theory

**Biped** · 23-02-2010, 19:33

Germany was a democracy before WW2, just before Brown, sorry, Hitler became Chancellor. He took every other European democracy to war.

**parapauk** · 23-02-2010, 19:37

Originally Posted by Biped

Germany was a democracy before WW2, just before Brown, sorry, Hitler became Chancellor. He took every other European democracy to war.

It ceased being a democracy wth the Enabling Act of 1933.

**The_Magician** · 23-02-2010, 19:39

Lets just all join NATO and go and kick the Sh*t out of the Faroe Islands?

Magic

**codbutt** · 23-02-2010, 19:41

When Russia has a government that doesn't belong in the 15th century, I'm all for it.

**alib** · 23-02-2010, 19:43

Nations accept the heavy costs of alliances largely to mitigate threats and their unity of purpose requires these to be credible to be maintained. NATO was largely cooked up as anti-USSR alliance, its remaining function if it really has one (skepticism is growing in the US i.e. where it matters) is at least to contain and intimidate an unpredictable Russia. It is not even doing that very well.

With China economically joined at the hip with the US/Walmart the very idea of Russia joining NATO seems underline its pointlessness. Do we really need a heavily militarized UN that's unlikely to agree on an adversary apart from the odd random towel heads?

**leveller** · 23-02-2010, 19:51

Originally Posted by codbutt

When Russia has a government that doesn't belong in the 15th century, I'm all for it.

Seconded, I mean how can you have a country that has an inept public figure as leader, while the 'shady' man behind him actually runs things?

Madness