Robert Smith: “I want her to know that while I am a strong advocate for NATO expansion, I view with appreciation and respect all my…”

“I want her to know that while I am a strong advocate for NATO expansion, I view with appreciation and respect all my colleagues who, for reasons of their conclusions and conscience, have decided that this is not appropriate. The Senator from Texas has made some points that I think are valid parts of this debate. I would like to respond to the point, however, that she made about the advisability of having a formal dispute resolution process in the NATO alliance. On the surface, I think this may strike some as a very good idea because within the alliance there are long and historic disputes between member countries. I note that it is a matter of historical record that NATO membership has been one of the primary ways in which longstanding enemies such as Germany and France have been able to resolve these historic enmities, I think in large part because of NATO.”