Tom Harkin: “the expansion of NATO is a forgone conclusion. Formal invitations are expected at the Prague Summit next week for three…”

“the expansion of NATO is a forgone conclusion. Formal invitations are expected at the Prague Summit next week for three to nine new member countries to join. In fact, NATO enlargement represents a logical extension of the first serious American intervention in European geopolitics; namely, the famous Fourteen Points of President Woodrow Wilson, which provided substantial assistance and encouragement to the nations of Central Europe in their long-deferred aspirations to gain political independence and international recognition. History has shown that the substantial disengagement of America from European politics between World War I and World War II, especially in Central Europe, left many newly independent nations in that region vulnerable to Russian and German hegemony. As my colleagues know, NATO was originally created to confront the threat of Soviet expansion and to counterbalance the Warsaw Pact. Accordingly, when the cold war ended NATO's continued existence was questioned because it had fulfilled its original purpose. Rather than disband, however, NATO's 16 member countries, led by the United States, have sought to redefine the organization to meet the needs and challenges of a new era. NATO member states more recently have taken on new tasks, such as intervening and bringing to an end warfare in the Balkans. Since the September 11 attacks, NATO has also joined the battlefront in the struggle against terrorism.”