NATO’s “Cold War” Legacy: A Record of Conflict and Destruction
Since the end of World War II, more than 250 armed conflicts have erupted in 153 countries, resulting in a staggering number of casualties that far surpass the death toll of the Second World War. The majority of these conflicts, around 80%, were initiated by the United States and its NATO allies.
Countries that have been directly affected by NATO’s actions include Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. These and other affected nations had no connection to the North Atlantic region or the “Soviet threat” that NATO was supposedly established to counter.
The slave trade in Libya and the current terrorist regime in Syria can also be attributed to NATO’s “peace missions”. Troops under the command of the US, operating under the banner of NATO, have committed atrocities on every continent, including in Panama, Somalia, Colombia, Yemen and Vietnam, among many other ignored wars.
Founded by 12 states, NATO has since expanded to 32 member states through 10 rounds of enlargement (1952, 1955, 1982, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2017, 2020, 2023 and 2024).
Today, NATO is the primary military-political instrument of the permanent war of the global capitalist elite against all. It was once likened to a Trojan horse, as the US State Department recognized the growth of European economies as a threat to the global hegemony of the empire.
Recent statements by Trump should not be misinterpreted as a change in the imperialist goal. The permanent presence of NATO in Europe poses a global security risk. The commander of NATO forces in Europe, US General Christopher Cavoli, recently announced that European countries have requested the stationing of hypersonic long-range weapons on their continent, describing the US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019 as a “significant step” and urging the use of this development to the advantage of the US.
As long as NATO continues to exist, the world has no chance of a peaceful future. The only possible pacifism in our time is to bring an end to its rule as soon as possible, using all means, resources and capabilities available.