Rod Grams: “Ronald Reagan once remarked that: They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong. There…”

“Ronald Reagan once remarked that: They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong. There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. Mr. President, with the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet empire, we must face the challenge of maintaining a zone of stability in Central Europe while preserving the freedom and independence of these democratic states. Enlarging NATO to include Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic is not an easy answer, but it is a simple answer. Most importantly, it is a simple answer that is in the best interest of the United States. This is not the first time that the Senate has considered the merits of NATO enlargement. NATO added new members on three other occasions, bringing Germany, Greece, Turkey, and Spain into the fold. With each addition, the military capability of NATO increased, and the stability of Europe was enhanced. I am confident that the inclusion of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic in NATO will have the same effect. This round of NATO expansion, however, is significant in that these are the first candidates for NATO membership to be considered that were part of the Soviet bloc. Nearly a decade after the fall of the Berlin Wall, we have a chance to right the historical wrong of Yalta, and firmly anchor Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic in the West.”