USA LED NATO THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR OF 2022

Heraclitus the Greek philosopher who lived 500 years before Jesus Christ remarked "Change is the only constant in life". Many years down the line Aristotle and Plato were greatly inspired by the writings of Heraclitus. Marv Levy the 96-year-old famous American football coach remarked "If you don't change with the times, the times are going to change you". The obstinacy of the USA led NATO to not change after the collapse of the erstwhile USSR on 26 December 1991 has led to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War of 2022. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) which in French is called the Organisation du traite de l'Atlantique (OTAN) and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium was formed on 04 April 1949 in the aftermath of the World War II, is a military alliance of 28 European nations and 2 North American nations. The NATO is led by USA. The NATO was formed to check the growing influence of USSR. When NATO was formed in 1949 it had only 12 countries as its members. 14 new members were added in NATO since the end of the Cold War on 03 December 1989 and the German reunification on 03 October 1990. As a counter to the NATO, Warsaw Pact was founded on 14 May 1955 with its headquarters in Warsaw, Poland and had 8 countries as its members and was led by USSR. Prior to the breakup of USSR into 15 countries on 26 December 1991, the Warsaw Pact was dissolved on 01 July 1991. Ethically the NATO should have been dissolved after the Warsaw Pact was dissolved. But this didn't happen due to two reasons. One that out of the 10 top arms manufacturers in the world, 7 are located in the USA and the western Europe. For the arms manufactures more wars, strife's and conflicts mean more money even at the cost of death and destruction. Secondly power corrupts and absolute power absolutely corrupts. With USSR broken up and the Warsaw Pact dissolved, USA thought that it could take on Russia and become the only super power in the world and it had the NATO as its biggest support. In 1990 several assurances were given to Mikhail Gorbachev the President of USSR that NATO would not expand further east. But NATO renegaded its assurances and continued its membership drive in eastern Europe. With the membership of Ukraine and Georgia to NATO almost certain, Russia felt threatened of its security at its doorstep as Ukraine and Georgia share common borders with Russia. Romania and Poland were already members of NATO and these two countries aren't located too far away from Russia. Clearly NATO was strangulating Russia slowly and steadily like a Boa Constrictor. Despite having served in the Indian Army for over 21 years as an officer, I feel that war must be avoided at all costs as only two categories of persons suffer the most in any war – the armed forces personnel and the common citizens. But when dialogue and diplomacy fail to resolve the disputes and differences and more so when a country is threatened at its doorstep in spite of assurances given earlier, then the whole scenario requires a relook from a different dimension. The Russian President Vladimir Putin who has been in a Lieutenant Colonel in KGB which is Russia's secret service to being the Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) which is equivalent to the National Security Adviser (NSA) in India, to being appointed the Russian Prime Minister in 1991 and is the current Russian President, is a seasoned soldier and an astute politician too. Vladimir Putin is one of the few international leaders today who is focussed about his nation's security interests and does not get deterred by any international pressures as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War has proved it. So, with the election of Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the President of Ukraine on 20 May 2019 and the election of Joe Biden as the President of USA on 20 January 2021, both of whom disliked Russia and made no bones about it, it was clear to Putin that the membership of NATO to Ukraine was certain and only a matter of time. Clearly the USA led NATO provoked Russia and brought it to the state wherein the Russia-Ukraine War erupted on 24 February 2022. The words of Emmanuel Jal "War destroys people's souls. Most people focus on physical injuries, but the invisible injuries can take a lifetime to heal and affects the lives of generations to come" will resonate in each armed forces personnel and the common citizen's heart of Russia and Ukraine till eternity. Lt Col JS Sodhi (Retd) Prolific writer and a public speaker. He tweets at @JassiSodhi24. The views expressed are personal.