Russian military intervention in Latvia, even under the guise of special forces in green garb without insignia, would almost certainly be engaged by Latvian military and police. If Russian security forces came to the assistance of their brethren in Latvia, as they would be likely to do, this would mean a direct confrontation between Russia and the U.S.-led NATO. Many Americans are not aware that Latvia and its Baltic neighbors are members of the NATO alliance, of which the United States is the leader. How many Americans know that members of that alliance, including the United States, commit themselves in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty to regard an attack against one NATO signatory as an attack against them all? Pursuant to that commitment, successive American presidents have approved war plans in which Americans would fight to defend the territory of all members of the alliance. Preventing Ukraines collapse into civil war must therefore be a high priority for the leaders of both the United States and Russia. The Geneva agreement on initial concrete steps to de-escalate tensions and restore security, which U.S. and Russian diplomats signed, along with their EU and Ukrainian counterparts, represents the first real step in the international communitys collective effort to reverse Ukraines slide into chaos.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Apr 2014 07:30:19 +0000
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