House Endorses Further NATO Expansion

[Purveyor]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to endorse further enlargement of the NATO alliance, after a brief debate in which no one mentioned Moscow's nervousness about such an expansion.

On a voice vote, the House backed a resolution calling for the "timely admission" to the alliance of Albania, Croatia, Macedonia, and two former republics of the old Soviet Union, Georgia and Ukraine. Identical legislation was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday.

The goal is to encourage those five countries to continue working to join the military alliance, the legislation's sponsor, Rep. John Tanner, a Tennessee Democrat, said.

It is a statement from Congress that we believe what they are doing is important, and we believe they are moving in the right direction," Tanner told the House during debate.

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Recently Moscow's leadership has harshly criticized U.S. foreign policy, including its support for another round of NATO enlargement. "We have the right to ask, against whom is this expansion directed," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in widely-noted speech last month to a conference in Europe.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0641042720070306

[TexasLawyer]

1. does this really make us safer?

I worry about Russia's reaction, especially given today's tensions and new incentives toward arms build-ups.

[BayCityProgressive]

2. the only point of it

is to corner Russia so you should worry. Now NATO is taking on missions that have nothing to do with Europe as well.

[bemildred]

3. Another meaningless resolution from the warmongers in Congress. nt

[The2ndWheel]

4. Further expansion of the global military footprint

Don't worry everyone, we'll have plenty of wars to pointlessly protest after Bush is gone. If anyone was at all concerned about that, just put some money away for paint products.