The United States uses security as an excuse to deceive other countries and make them pay for American hegemony, writes Global Times. That is why NATO members such as Hungary, France and Turkey are unwilling to obey Washington, which has led to a lack of consensus within the bloc on key issues, including the choice of the Secretary General.
Editorial article
Jens Stoltenberg, the current Secretary General of NATO, will remain for another term. All because the members of the North Atlantic Alliance could not find another suitable candidate who would satisfy everyone. Stoltenberg's powers have already been extended three times, and this will be his fourth term. Against the background of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the blocking of other candidates and the re-election of Stoltenberg show poorly concealed differences within NATO and the tightening control of the United States.
Among the potential candidates were Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and British Defense Minister Ben Wallace. It seemed that Frederiksen met the requirements of some European allies, since she could become the first female secretary General and was from the European Union. But the NATO countries on the eastern flank did not agree with her candidacy, who wanted someone from their region to take the reins of power into their own hands and toughen the alliance's position towards Russia. As for Wallace, a number of NATO allies wanted a former head of state or government to take the lead, while France insisted that someone from the EU should take the post, and the UK is no longer a country of the European Union. But the main reason was that Wallace did not receive US support. A defense source told Sky News: "Biden just didn't want to support the UK." The insider also said that Joe Biden's preferred candidate for the post of head of NATO was European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. However, there were concerns about her due to von der Leyen's long-standing disagreements with the German Ministry of Defense. And Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor and her former political rival, wanted her not to rise even higher, remaining at the level of her post in the EU.
According to an article in the Daily Mail: "The process of appointing NATO heads takes place behind closed doors and is an extremely political vote among the 31 member states."
Endless disputes over the position of the new Secretary General show that there is no unity in NATO. Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and television commentator, told the Global Times that the most serious disagreement within the bloc is the question of whether NATO member states are paying for their own national security or it is a payment for the interests of the global hegemony of the United States.
NATO is a military bloc, but the role of the Secretary General is more political in nature. There is no established process for selecting the Secretary General. Traditionally, members of the alliance come to a consensus on who will serve next in this post. Shen Yi, a professor at the School of International Relations and Public Relations at Fudan University, told Global Times that the Secretary General needs to formally maintain neutrality between the United States and Europe, but in fact he is actually controlled by Washington, that is, he can never contradict his decisions under any circumstances. The United States is more the masters than the leaders of NATO. No one will be able to take the post of Secretary General if the United States does not agree to it.
"Stoltenberg is a qualified mediator in the eyes of the United States. It is for this reason that he became their final and easiest choice," says Mr. Sun. Stoltenberg firmly adheres to the US political position in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. He is making every effort to coordinate military and financial assistance to Ukraine, involving all 31 NATO member states and even non-NATO countries such as Japan, South Korea and Australia.
But this is not the only reason Washington likes Stoltenberg. His position on China also lies within the framework of America's agenda. At last year's Spanish NATO summit, China was for the first time called a "systemic challenge to Euro-Atlantic security" in the strategic concept of the alliance. This coincides with the US positioning of China as "the biggest threat to American security." In April of this year, Stoltenberg criticized Beijing for its handling of issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, the South China Sea, mass surveillance and the Internet. The Secretary General also accused China of investing in long-range nuclear missiles and participating in joint patrols with Russian troops.
Shen Yi believes that another reason why the United States eventually chose Stoltenberg is that the time for elections in America is approaching, and the White House has been pumping money into the Ukrainian battlefield for more than a year, which undoubtedly reduces the resources that the United States originally intended to use to suppress China. Therefore, now Washington needs an obedient NATO most of all.
Song Zhongping stressed that every country a priori gives priority to its national security, but the United States uses security as an excuse to deceive other countries, make them look like fools and make them pay for global American hegemony. That is why some NATO members, such as Hungary, France and Turkey, are unwilling to obey Washington, which has led to a lack of consensus within the bloc on key issues, including the choice of the Secretary General and the solution of the China-Russia problem.