Alliances Quote by Rashid Khalidi
“President Bush Sr. and Secretary Baker, way back when, told Gorbachev, "We are not going to advance NATO into Eastern Europe. We're not going to - we're not going to advance NATO into East Germany, if you allow the unification of Germany." Where is that pledge? Where is the logic behind a military alliance, devised in the time of communism, before the Berlin Wall fell, now being in the Ukraine, in Poland, in Estonia, in Latvia and Lithuania? I don't understand.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Middle East Perspectives, 2023
Criticizes the inconsistency of NATO’s expansion post‑Cold War, questioning the logic of extending a Cold‑War alliance into Eastern Europe.
In simple terms: NATO’s eastward growth is contradictory.
Key Takeaway
Question strategic consistency.
Themes
geopolitics
military alliances
history
Mood
critical
inquisitive
Type
political
strategic
When to use this quote
- defense policy
- diplomacy
- regional security
Key Concepts
realpolitik
strategic continuity
Questions to Reflect On
- Is NATO’s expansion justified today?
- How should alliances evolve?
A Different Perspective
Alliances must adapt to new realities; past promises may be outdated.
![“[U]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle the apparatus of oppression.” quote by Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d7b/shulamith-firestone-12980_accomplished_u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together_5485.jpg)
