by Stephen Lendman

America dominates NATO, calling the shots, pressuring or bullying other members to go along. They serve US interests, an agenda threatening world peace.

Meeting in Brussels on October 8, NATO defense ministers announced “further steps to enhance collective” security at a time no threats exists - except invented ones used as pretexts to increase military spending and wage aggressive wars.

The Atlantic Alliance is a US-dominated instrument for endless conflicts, a tool for mass slaughter and destruction, a threat to humanity’s survival. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced plans to boost NATO’s rapid reaction force strength, more troops to be deployed near Russia’s borders.

Two more regional headquarters will be opened in Hungary and Slovakia, operating along with six others in Eastern Europe (in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania), Stoltenberg saying:

“NATO will defend you. NATO is on the ground. NATO is ready” - against what, he didn’t say, adding: “We now have everything in place to make the Response Force stronger, faster and more capable.”

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded, saying “(a)n invented excuse about the suggested threat coming from Russia is possibly just camouflage used to disguise the plans to further expand NATO toward our borders.”

“We are talking about a buildup. There have been statements about a larger contingent. We are talking about an increase of military presence. And it is military presence practically near the Russian borders.”

“Of course, any plans to bring NATO’s military infrastructure closer to the Russian Federation will lead to reciprocal steps needed to restore the necessary parity.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said “(f)irst of all, we need to hear and understand the position of those who take such actions.”

“They need to tell us about their goals and objectives so that we could comment on them. So far, none of the latest events added stability to the European continent. On the contrary, this stability is being put in jeopardy.”

Provocative military exercises like Trident Juncture, ongoing from September 28 to November 6, involving 36,000 troops from 30 countries in multiple European locations, the Mediterranean Sea and Canada force Russia to react defensively.

Putin explained earlier, saying “(i)f someone threatens our territories, it means that we will have to aim our armed forces accordingly at the territories from where the threat is coming. How else could it be? It is NATO that approaches our borders. It’s not like we are moving anywhere.”

Washington is acting more aggressively than any time since the end of the Cold War - in the Asia-Pacific as well as Europe.

On October 8, the Navy Times said the Pentagon intends deploying US ships to Chinese waters - “inside the 12-nautical-mile territorial limit China claims for its man-made island chain.”

“(A)pproval of the mission is imminent,” - directly challenging China provocatively. On September 1, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said the “United States will fly, sail and operate wherever” it pleases anywhere in the world.

Beijing expressed “serious concern” about earlier US plans to send warships and aircraft into South China Sea waters. At the time, it said “freedom of navigation does not give one country’s military aircraft and ships free access to another country’s territorial waters and airspace.”

Expect a similar response this time. Challenging Russia and China provocatively shows the recklessness of US policy, run by neocon lunatics threatening world peace, risking another global war, this one if launched able to end life on earth.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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