According to the BBC, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a relic of the Cold War designed to counter the eastern communist bloc, "will not yet offer membership to Georgia or Ukraine after the 26-member alliance was split amid strong objections from Russia." It is curious that the lame duck President Bush demand that the two former Soviet republics be admitted to NATO, and the reason for this are not yet clear. Regardless of Bush's wish, France, Germany, and Russia strenuously objected to the proposed admission.
The former Yugoslav republic Macedonia also will not be invited to join NATO [Link.], while Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia joined as "full and equal partners" in 2004. [Link.]
What purpose does NATO hold in this post-Cold War world? Does it make sense to have this ghost of the Cold War still present and operating? And how does NATO justify its presence in Afghanistan? Questions, questions...
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