NATO Country Calls Alliance Toward War, Would Pit Us Against Russian Troops
Alliances are fickle things. They allow small states that would otherwise be defenseless to call on a bigger military power in times of need and give big nations a sphere of influence to boost peace and trade.
On the other side of the coin, members of an alliance are only as close to peace as the most reckless state allows them to be.
In the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, it looks like that country is Turkey, whose increasing involvement in Syria is now threatening to drag the entirety of NATO into an armed conflict that nobody seems keen to join.
The country that bridges the divide between the Middle East and Europe called on member states to convene Feb. 28 under the NATO alliance’s Article 4.
“Under article 4 of the Treaty,” a NATO release stated, “any Ally can request consultations whenever, in the opinion of any of them, their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened.”
The request comes after an attack killed 33 Turkish fighters operating in Idlib, Syria.
Shortly after, Russia began gearing up in the region.
Two warships from the federation were dispatched to the coast of Syria, each boasting top-of-the-line missile systems.
Russia is a major player in Syria, with President Vladimir Putin’s forces supplying air, naval and ground support to the war-ravaged nation.
Unfortunately for NATO allies, it looks like Turkey may be able to pull them into a full-fledged war.
Article 5 of NATO’s Washington Treaty states that “an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.”
The article was invoked shortly after the 9/11 terror attacks and remains a powerful and final tool in NATO members’ arsenals.
It appears that if NATO is called to war, the United States has one major asset in the region to swiftly engage any enemies.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, along with its carrier strike group complement, is now a short sail away from the Syrian coast in the Mediterranean Sea.
Any involvement in Syria will undo much of President Donald Trump’s work to move American forces out of the Middle East.
It’s unclear whether Turkey will continue to push member states into a war against Russia-backed forces.
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