DISINFO: NATO lost its meaning of existence without the Soviet Union
SUMMARY
... With the disappearance of the Soviet Union, the bloc (NATO) lost the enemy it had formed against, and thus, the meaning of its existence. NATO members face the problem of defining what they are.
NATO clings to the old stereotype: Here is the familiar and eternal enemy: Russia, from the Tsarist era, to the Soviet era, to the present time. Russia has always been an alternative to Western hegemony, so it must be deterred by all possible means.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about Western Russophobia and an alleged belligerent NATO, portraying the Alliance as a threat to peace and Russia.
NATO is in no way directed against Russia or any other state. NATO’s objectives are set out in the 1949 Washington Treaty which forms the legal basis of the alliance. The treaty states that parties “are resolved to unite their efforts for collective defence and for the preservation of peace and security”.
The current NATO Strategic Concept “Active Engagement, Modern Defence” (2010) outlines three essential core tasks – collective defence, crisis management and cooperative security, which includes, in addition, trying to solve conflicts around the world, helping saving lives by supporting civilian efforts against COVID-19, both in Allied and partner countries, by supporting the civilian response, constructing field hospitals, securing borders and helping with testing and transport. Read more about these efforts here.
Furthermore, NATO’s work on counter-terrorism focuses on improving awareness of the threat, developing capabilities to prepare and respond, and enhancing engagement with partner countries and other international actors. NATO is also is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. Read more about these facts here.
NATO actively sought to create a cooperative environment that was conducive to enlargement while simultaneously building special relations with Russia.
But on the other hand, NATO-Russian cooperation has been suspended since 2014 in response to Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine. Since then, Russian officials have accused NATO of a series of threats and hostile actions. NATO's approach to Russia is defence and dialogue. More about NATO can be read here and its relations with Russia here.
See similar cases in our database claiming that Russia will remain the main enemy of NATO for decades, that NATO is encircling Russia’s borders and creating an enemy image of Russia, that NATO is a monstrous Cold War relic, and that Russia is regarded as an enemy in the plans of NATO, and that NATO's need to confront Russia is caused by the crisis within the West, and that Navalny is a NATO agent, and you can read our post titled “A Russian top politician reaches for the moon”.