Changes

The NATO organization was founded on the solitary premise of collective security to [[Containment|contain Soviet expansion in Europe]]. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992, many questioned the need for it's continued existence against an enemy that no longer existed. Several former Soviet satalite states (East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Czech and Slovak Republics) as well as newly independent former Soviet Republics (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Georgia and Ukraine) wanted EU membership, which of coarse would ultimately mean NATO membership, as well (military alliances exist to protect economic alliances). Russia under [[Boris Yeltsin]] wanted EU and NATO membership. The NATO powers that be made clear they had no interest in going out of business, and Russia argued how unfair it was that they should dissolve their defense alliance (the [[Warsaw Pact]]) and be thrust into another arms race with against a growing NATO, which was swallowing up many of Russia's former military allies.

The NATO organization was founded on the solitary premise of collective security to [[Containment|contain Soviet expansion in Europe]]. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992, many questioned the need for it's continued existence against an enemy that no longer existed. Several former Soviet satalite states (East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Czech and Slovak Republics) as well as newly independent former Soviet Republics (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Georgia and Ukraine) wanted EU membership, which of coarse would ultimately mean NATO membership, as well (military alliances exist to protect economic alliances). Russia under [[Boris Yeltsin]] wanted EU and NATO membership. The NATO powers that be made clear they had no interest in going out of business, and Russia argued how unfair it was that they should dissolve their defense alliance (the [[Warsaw Pact]]) and be thrust into another arms race with against a growing NATO, which was swallowing up many of Russia's former military allies.

But the case of Ukraine was unique. Ethnic Ukrainians wanted out of the Russian orbit. But the territory of Ukraine is inhabitted by nearly 50% ethnic Russians, too, who wanted to maintain close ties to Russia. The official US State Department's position under President [[George Herbert Walker Bush]] at the time was that the Ukraine should remain a sovereign republic within the Russian Federation. Bush argued as much in a speech written by [[Condoleezza Rice]] to the Ukrainian parliament. But the Clinton's took over in early 1993, and caved in to Ukrainian [[nationalist]]s. In exchange for US recognition of a Ukraine independent of the Russian Federation, Ukraine would give up it nuclear stockpile from the Soviet era, and the US would guarantee Ukraine's security should the Russians ever invade. The agreement reeked a lot like the assurances Great Britain and France gave Poland at the [[Treaty of Versailles]] in 1919 that bound them to war with [[Hitler]] in 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland.

But the case of Ukraine was unique. Ethnic Ukrainians wanted out of the Russian orbit. But the territory of Ukraine is inhabitted by nearly 50% ethnic Russians, too, who wanted to maintain close ties to Russia. The official US State Department's position under President [[George Herbert Walker Bush]] at the time was that the Ukraine should remain a sovereign republic within the Russian Federation. Bush argued as much in a speech written by [[Condoleezza Rice]] to the Ukrainian parliament. But the Clinton's took over in early 1993, and caved in to Ukrainian [[nationalist]]s. In exchange for US recognition of a Ukraine independent of the Russian Federation, Ukraine would give up it nuclear stockpile from the Soviet era, and the US would guarantee Ukraine's security, should the Russians ever invade. The agreement reeked a lot like the assurances Great Britain and France gave Poland at the [[Treaty of Versailles]] in 1919 that bound them to war with [[Hitler]] in 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland.