RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – NATO’s remit no longer goes far enough for the British. The former imperialist world power is now calling for expanding the U.S.-led military alliance to the Pacific. In addition to Russia, NATO is now targeting China.
Initially, NATO was formed as a Western military alliance to defend Western Europeans from a potential invasion by the Soviet Union. However, with the disintegration of the USSR and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, it lost its real mission – and officially devoted itself to “fighting terrorism.”
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However, the goal of subjugating Russia was never lost sight of. Something that has been made clear again and again in recent years with the growing buildup of troops in Eastern Europe and the constant military exercises near Russia’s borders.
“We,” U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said, referring to NATO, “must ensure that democracies like Taiwan are able to defend themselves.” https://t.co/ISkXggNzhT
— Stuart Lau (@StuartKLau) April 27, 2022
But for the British, this no longer goes far enough. Probably the closest allies of the United States of America, they have been increasingly focusing on the world stage since Brexit, the withdrawal from the European Union.
The British foreign secretary, Liz Truss, has now said her government favors the creation of a “global NATO” capable of providing defense for Taiwan and the entire Pacific region and called for preemptive action against potential aggressors.
In a speech Wednesday outlining British foreign policy, Truss said London rejects the “false choice between Euro-Atlantic security and Indo-Pacific security” and instead argues “that we need both.”
“My point is that NATO needs to have a global perspective and be ready to fight global threats,” she continued. “We need to prevent threats in the Indo-Pacific region and work with allies like Japan and Australia to ensure the Pacific is protected. And we need to make sure democracies like Taiwan can defend themselves.”
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The foreign minister said that NATO countries also need to put significantly more than two percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) into their armaments.
In doing so, she reiterates statements made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who emphasized just earlier this year that NATO’s reach should be extended into the Indo-Pacific region.
If NATO is restructured and expanded, it could include countries such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Other countries in the region could then apply to join the global, U.S.-led military alliance, moving closer to the U.S. goal of encircling China.