Doug Casey On The Shocking 2025 “Deagel” Forecast

[F2d5thCav]

When they started admitting former Warsaw Pact nations into NATO, I raised an eyebrow,

I would ask, "why?"

This is the slippery slope I mentioned.  The argument here, as it is often cast in the discussion forums of the internet, always assume that NATO was the sole actor in the actions of these sovereign states.

But NATO was only one part of it.  The other part, and much more important IMO, was the decision of these sovereign states to join NATO.

Arguing against that is another version of saying, "those peoples don't have a right to self-determination".  To which I say, "of course they do."

This is the "1989 geopolitical trap" I brought up.  It ain't 1989 anymore.  Those countries got out from under Russia's thumb and are now conducting their own foreign and domestic policy.  Russia can certainly attempt to influence those policies ... and the Russians do that, using the natural gas supply among other measures.  But the Russians don't have a natural right to overtly control the countries of central Europe, their nationalist desires notwithstanding.

Here is Russia's real problem:  like the German government, the Russian government doesn't understand (or, want to practice) the concept of peer relationships with other countries.  They are both still stuck in the "dominate or be dominated" mindset.  The peoples of central Europe have been dominated by one or both of these powers for centuries (and still are, economically), and they're tired of it.  Thus, they adopt policies, some of which exist only to thwart and spite Russian attempts at domination.  The Russian elites are too proud to admit their approach is manipulative and paternalistic, and so the tension between the various countries remains with only brief respites.

There is a lot of "but, Russia's outlook!" tripe on the internet.  Very little of it looks at the basic mistakes being made by Russia's leadership.

I grasp the Russians are sensitive about national security issues ... but every country is.  The handful of brigades that NATO has in central Europe are not capable of mounting an invasion of Russia, and the Russian leadership knows that.  One might wonder why Russia so often makes an issue of NATO's presence in central Europe ... but is so curiously silent about the deployment of the People's Liberation Army along the long common border with China.  Frankly, I think Siberia is more at risk of a Chinese takeover than western Russia is from a NATO-led invasion.

Cheers