Isithombe: Wikimedia Commons
Ibhalwe nguPaul Keating, Amaparele nokuCasulwa, Okthoba 7, 2022
Ukunweba indawo ye-NATO yokuklanywa kwezempi kuyona kanye imingcele yeSoviet Union yangaphambili kwakuyiphutha elingase lilinganiswe nokungalungi kwamasu okwavimbela iJalimane ukuthi ithathe indawo yayo ephelele ohlelweni lwamazwe ngamazwe ekuqaleni kwaleli khulu leminyaka.
UPaul Keating washo lezi zinto eminyakeni engamashumi amabili nanhlanu edlule enkulumweni yakhe enkulu eNyuvesi yaseNew South Wales, 4 September 1997:
“Okwengxenye ngenxa yokungabaza kwamalungu amanje ukuhamba ngokushesha ekwandiseni ubulungu be-EU, ngikholelwa ukuthi kwenziwa iphutha elikhulu lezokuphepha e-Europe ngesinqumo sokwandisa i-NATO. Akungabazeki ukuthi lokhu kubonwe ngabathile eYurophu njengendlela ethambile kunokwanda kwe-EU.
I-NATO kanye ne-Atlantic alliance bayisebenzele kahle imbangela yokuphepha kwasentshonalanga. Basiza ekuqinisekiseni ukuthi iMpi Yomshoshaphansi ekugcineni iphetha ngezindlela ezinikeza izithakazelo ezivulekile, zentando yeningi. Kodwa i-NATO iyisikhungo esingalungile ukwenza umsebenzi esicelwa ukuba yenze.
Isinqumo sokwandisa i-NATO ngokumema iPoland, iHungary kanye neCzech Republic ukuthi ibambe iqhaza futhi iveze ithemba kwabanye - ngamanye amazwi ukuhambisa indawo yokuklama impi yase-Europe kuyona kanye imingcele yezwe elaliyiSoviet Union -, ngikholwa ukuthi, iphutha elingase lilinganiswe ekugcineni ngezibalo ezingalungile zasu ezivimbele iJalimane ekuthatheni indawo yayo ephelele ohlelweni lwamazwe ngamazwe ekuqaleni kwaleli khulu leminyaka.
Umbuzo omkhulu we-Europe awusekho ukuthi ingashumeka kanjani iJalimane e-Europe - eseyizuziwe - kodwa ukuthi ingabandakanya kanjani iRussia ngendlela evikela izwekazi phakathi nekhulu leminyaka elizayo.
Futhi kwakukhona ukungabikho okusobala kakhulu kwe-statecraft lapha. AmaRussia, ngaphansi kukaMikhail Gorbachev, avumile ukuthi iMpumalanga Jalimane ingahlala kuNATO njengengxenye yeJalimane ebumbene. Kodwa manje ngemva kweminyaka eyishumi nambili kamuva i-NATO isikhuphukele emngceleni osentshonalanga ye-Ukraine. Lo mlayezo ungafundwa ngendlela eyodwa kuphela: ukuthi nakuba iRussia isiphenduke intando yeningi, ekuqapheleni kweYurophu esentshonalanga ihlezi iwumbuso okufanele ubhekwe, isitha esingaba khona.
Amagama asetshenziswe ukuchaza ukwanda kwe-NATO acatshangelwe, futhi ubungozi buye bavunywa. Kodwa noma ngabe amagama aqaphile kangakanani, noma ngabe kugqokwa ifasitela loMkhandlu Ohlangene Waphakade we-NATO-Russia, wonke umuntu uyazi ukuthi iRussia iyimbangela yokwanda kwe-NATO.
Isinqumo siyingozi ngezizathu eziningana. Kuzobhebhethekisa ukungavikeleki eRussia futhi kuqinise lezo zinkinga zomcabango waseRussia, okuhlanganisa nobuzwe kanye namakhomanisi angaphambili ephalamende, aphikisana nokusebenzelana okuphelele neNtshonalanga. Kuzokwenza kube lula ukubuyiselwa kokuxhumana kwezempi phakathi kweRussia nokunye okwakuncike kuyo phambilini. Kuzokwenza ukulawulwa kwezikhali, futhi ikakhulukazi ukulawula izikhali zenuzi, kube nzima kakhulu ukukufeza.
Futhi ukwanda kwe-NATO kuzokwenza okuncane kakhulu ukuqinisa amademokhrasi amasha asempumalanga yeYurophu kunokwandiswa kwe-EU. "
