Guest Post by Mike Whitney
The Vilnius Summit Communique is a crude attempt to NATO-ize Washington’s list of enemies in order to enlist broader support for the impending global conflict. The intended targets of this campaign are Russia and China, the main opponents of the so-called “rules-based order”. Neither of these countries pose a direct security threat to NATO or the United States, but their sudden re-emergence on the Asian continent makes them Washington’s de facto enemy. The United States is determined to dominate Central Asia, which means that all potential rivals must be contained or crushed. The purpose of the Vilnius Communiqué is to identify these rivals, divulge their alleged offenses, and denounce them in the harshest terms possible. This is how NATO makes its case for war and lays the groundwork for future hostilities. This is an excerpt from the Communique:
The Russian Federation is the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area… Russia bears full responsibility for its illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, which has gravely undermined Euro-Atlantic and global security and for which it must be held fully accountable. We continue to condemn in the strongest terms Russia’s blatant violations of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and OSCE commitments and principles. We do not and will never recognize Russia’s illegal and illegitimate annexations, including Crimea. There can be no impunity for Russian war crimes and other atrocities, such as attacks against civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure that deprives millions of Ukrainians of basic human services. All those responsible must be held accountable for violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law, particularly against Ukraine’s civilian population…. Vilnius Summit Communiqué, NATO
