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12/28/2016 6:23 am  #1


Senators Reassure Wary Baltic Nations That U.S. Won’t Abandon NATO

Senators Reassure Wary Baltic Nations That U.S. Won’t Abandon NATO

LONDON — Three American senators arrived in Tallinn, Estonia on Tuesday to reassure the Baltic nations that the United States remained committed to their defense and to the NATO alliance.

The visit by the senators — John McCain, Republican of Arizona; Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina; and Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota — came as Estonia and other former Soviet republics that are now members of NATO have grown apprehensive over whether President-elect Donald J. Trump will uphold longstanding American commitments to the alliance.

During the presidential campaign, Mr. Trump dismissed NATO as “obsolete” and appeared to set conditions for continued United States participation in the alliance, the cornerstone of trans-Atlantic security since 1947.

“I am convinced and certain that our relations, and the American relationship with NATO, will remain the same,” Mr. McCain said at a news conference with Estonia’s new prime minister, Juri Ratas.

Among stops on the senators’ itinerary are the two other Baltic states, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Ukraine and Georgia, two former Soviet republics that are not members of NATO.

About 5,000 American troops have rotated through Estonia since April 2014 — after Russia’s seizure of Crimea — and Mr. McCain said he would support a permanent United States troop presence, not just a rotation.

“I think the presence of United States troops here in Estonia is a signal that we believe in what Ronald Reagan believed, and that is peace through strength,” he said, calling it “the best way to prevent Russian misbehavior.”

The Russian takeover of Crimea, along with its efforts to destabilize eastern Ukraine and its continued threats to Georgia, reinforced the need for the United States to help keep NATO strong, Mr. McCain said. “Our relationship is more important than perhaps it’s been in a long time,” he said.

Spokesmen for the senators and Mr. Trump did not respond to questions about whether they had informed the president-elect about their trip.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/27/world/europe/nato-baltic-states-russia.html?ref=world


We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists. 
 

12/28/2016 10:24 am  #2


Re: Senators Reassure Wary Baltic Nations That U.S. Won’t Abandon NATO

Sad that our Senators HAVE to reassure them ! 


"Do not confuse motion and progress, A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress"
 
 

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