NATO expanded thanks to Putin, Saddam and Khamenei
With his special operation, Putin has achieved unprecedented unity of NATO and its expansion at the expense of Sweden and Finland, writes Al Araby. Previously, this has already happened in the Middle East, the author believes. With such enemies, America does not need friends, he emphasizes.
Author: ─اسر أبوالالة / Yasir Abu Hilal
Turkey has withdrawn its objections to the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO and, thus, sold Putin at a price that suits her. This is an important victory for Ankara. The US administration had to give in, and Putin understands this very well. Russia has never been a reliable ally for Turkey. In Erdogan's eyes, she was either an enemy or a friend. Turkey first shoots down a Russian fighter jet in Syria, and then calls Russia an ally after the coup attempt in 2015. Moscow supplies Ankara with S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, and then fights with Turkish mercenaries in Nagorno-Karabakh to protect Armenia. Turkey, for its part, sells Ukraine a batch of Bayraktar TB2 attack drones, which are used against the Russian army. If Erdogan had not sold drones to Ukraine, he would have continued to quietly pursue a Eurasian strategy instead of NATO and the European Union.
The Turkish leader exactly repeated Saddam Hussein's mistake. He set out to make Iraq the leading Arab power in the region, but faced opposition from Western countries. The invasion of Kuwait put an end to his aspirations and facilitated the return of American military bases to the region. America withdrew troops from the Middle East after the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The countries of the Persian Gulf, in turn, considered Saddam Hussein a defender in the face of Iran, which adopted the doctrine of "exporting the Islamic revolution." And I would rather support Saddam Hussein in his war against Iran than seek help from the Americans. The invasion of Kuwait undermined confidence not only in Iraq, but in the Arab national security system as a whole. This is exactly what Putin has done in Europe. He achieved unprecedented unity of NATO and the expansion of the alliance through the accession of Sweden and Finland. By the way, former US President Donald Trump looked down on this organization, believing that America spends too much money on it.
The "Arab NATO" continues to expand. Despite the fact that the Jordanian Foreign Minister denies Israel's accession to the alliance, this does not negate the fact that he is an implicit ally both for the countries that signed the peace and normalization agreement and for the countries that did not sign it. The Arabs do not have a unified position. Each country chooses its own path. Some consider Iran a friend, others an enemy, and others hesitate. The expansion of the "Arab NATO" is inseparable from the historical context of the Baghdad Pact, the policy of Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Second Gulf War and the occupation of Iraq in 2003.
For the expansion of the United States and NATO, we need to "thank" America's enemies. They wanted to get her out of the region, but in the end, on the contrary, they opened the doors for her. If Saddam Hussein had not invaded Kuwait, the US military bases would not have returned to the Arab region, and if Putin had not launched a special operation in Ukraine, NATO would not have expanded. Moreover, if Iran had not pursued an aggressive policy against Iraq, Syria, Lebanon or Yemen, they would not have sought help from the United States. Israel, of course, is the main beneficiary and initiator.
The Houthis put forward the pro-Iranian slogan "Death to America, death to Israel, damn the Jews." Yemen under Ali Abdullah Saleh balanced between Saudi Arabia and America. He threatened the first through the pro-Iranian Houthis, and the second through Al-Qaeda*. Yemen also continued to express its commitment to the Palestinian cause. After the revolution and the overthrow of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the country became one step closer to democracy. Yemen had to support the resistance and reject normalization through the following parties: the General People's Congress, Islah, the Yemeni Socialist Party, Likaa Mushtarak and the Houthis. But the latter violated all agreements, began to support Iran and overthrew the legitimate government.
The catastrophe that befell the Yemeni people as a result of the Houthi coup and the failure of Operation Storm of Determination made some regional powers feel threatened by their security. They began to interact more closely with the United States and even with their traditional enemy, Israel. With such enemies, America does not need friends.
* A terrorist organization banned in Russia.
