NATO Membership

[Velo Vol]

This isn't exactly a breaking story, but why don't Ukrainians want to join NATO?

[Gotno Gizmo]

NATO was developed in the aftermath of World War 2 resulting from the fear of expansionism of Soviet Communism. NATO country citizens were cultivated into a fear of communism and were content that their governments had united in a common pact to opose it. For my part, when I entered the Soviet satellite European countries in the late 70's and early 80's I was in no doubt about what side of the fence my sympathies were based. Apart from a few areas of modus operandi (guaranteed housing and job), I was appalled by much that I saw within communist regimes. I later fought for three years with Romania's regime to get my Romanian wife at that time released to join me in England.

However, your typical Ukrainian will not have this same historic allegance, indeed older ones were nurtured on the other side of this divide, with pensioners of my age still having pangs of nostalgia for the Soviet days. For this reason it would not be appropriate for the Ukrainian government to seek membership of NATO. Furthermore, such action would anger Putin's Russia and there would be a price to pay if Ukraine went down this path. Finally, with NATO countries now being dragged into costly wars within the Islamic world (at the behest of the USA), where any real gain for anybody, including those countries where the action is ongoing, why would Ukraine want to join NATO?