BEIJING: NATO is destined to decline, and attempts to expand its influence to the Asia-Pacific region won’t save the alliance, Liaoning Univ...
BEIJING: NATO is destined to decline, and attempts to expand its influence to the Asia-Pacific region won’t save the alliance, Liaoning University’s American and East Asian Studies Institute dean Lu Chao said.
"’Asia-Pacificization’ is not a cure for NATO's decline, and the alliance should be dissolved," the Global Times newspaper quoted the Chinese expert as saying.
According to Lu Chao, "NATO is a product of the Cold War," whose purpose disappeared with the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The expert recalled that US and Israeli strikes on Iran have widened the rift within the military bloc to an unprecedented degree.
"This prompted the alliance to push for ‘Asia-Pacificization,’ seeking to align with Washington's new ‘Indo-Pacific Strategy’ in an attempt to ease transatlantic frictions and prolong its own relevance. But, in reality, it is unlikely to work," Lu Chao emphasized.
He noted that NATO emerged as a defensive military alliance of European and North American countries, and its transformation into "a tool for US global dominance runs counter to European interests, undermines the postwar international order centered on the UN, and violates universally recognized moral and legal principles." According to the expert, Washington uses this bloc to retain control over the EU.
Questionable prospects
"Furthermore, NATO's attempt to ‘shift tensions eastward’ by exporting instability to the Asia-Pacific in exchange for relative calm in Europe is also unlikely to succeed. <…> NATO's Asia-Pacific turn will do nothing to reduce US unilateral influence over Europe. In fact, it may give Washington further leverage to pressure its allies to shoulder the costs of potential conflicts in Asia-Pacific," Lu Chao pointed out.
The expert noted that the Asia-Pacific region plays an important role in stimulating global economic growth. In addition, the region is closely linked to European economies. Therefore, instability in this part of the world could disrupt supply chains and impact key segments of the global market.
"Relying on Japan and South Korea as strategic footholds is far from assured. <…> NATO's Asia-Pacific push to embolden Japan and uphold the status quo is akin to making a pact with a tiger for its skin. For European countries that once suffered under fascist aggression, repeating the mistakes of history would be unwise amid Japan's growing calls to revise its pacifist constitution and expand its military," he added.
According to Lu Chao, most Asia-Pacific region countries prioritize stability and development, and NATO’s penetration into the region "would likely heighten their vigilance and could even provoke countermeasures.".
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