Senate's Foreign Relations Committee holds hearing on NATO expansion (05/04/03)

Senate's Foreign Relations Committee holds hearing on NATO expansion

by Serhiy Zhykharev
Ukrainian National Information Service

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing on April 3 on the second round of NATO expansion to include Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, presided over the meeting.

Members of the Committee heard the testimonies of Janusz Bugajski, director of East European Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Jeffrey Simon, senior research fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies of the National Defense University; and F. Stephen Larrabee of the RAND Corp.

Defending the case for Bulgaria and Romania, Mr. Bugajski defined five standards that are necessary to measure every new NATO applicant: domestic stability, democratic governance, bilateral political cooperation, regional security; and, a commitment to anti-terrorist activities. According to Mr. Bugajski, Bulgaria and Romania established and stabilized their democratic states, managed to avoid ethnic conflicts, and held several free and fair elections. Although poverty remains an issue, economic stability was achieved at the macroeconomic level, and both states demonstrated the willingness to cooperate on political and military levels.

Both Bulgaria and Romania have good relations with their neighbors, and both have joined the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition by sending troops to the conflict zone. "We have entered a new turbulent era in trans-Atlantic relations that may drastically reshape the strategic map of Europe. While NATO may not disappear, it could increasingly resemble the OSCE or a mini-U.N. ... Alternatively, in addition to promoting stronger bilateral ties with like-minded Allies, Washington may seek a revamped NATO structure that can more effectively intersect with U.S. interests," said Mr. Bugajski. In this context, he argued that the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to NATO would benefit the strategic interests of the United States in the region and encourage cooperation between NATO members.

Mr. Simon expressed similar sentiments. "The United States' military footprint is likely to change in Europe not just by thinning of its presence in Germany, but also by acquiring a new presence in the direction of Europe's east and southeast," he stated. Arguing the case for Slovakia's and Slovenia's entry into NATO, Mr. Simon pointed out that citizens of both states initially disapproved of NATO membership, but subsequent actions by the governments have swayed popular opinion. Both states have a stable political and economic environment and have demonstrated a consistent desire to cooperate in the political realm, as evidenced by their active collaboration in the U.S.-led war against international terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Making the case for Baltic states, RAND's Mr. Larrabee remarked that, "membership of the Baltic states in NATO is very much in U.S. interests and will significantly contribute to enhancing overall security in Europe. All three states have functioning democratic systems and viable market economies. Indeed, growth rates in the Baltic states are among the highest in Europe."

Mr. Larrabee also noted that, unlike most other NATO applicants from Central and East Europe, the Baltic States did not inherit their military, but instead had to re-create them. Given the financial constraints, this task has been difficult, but the countries managed to create forces that are capable of operating with NATO forces. All three Baltic countries continue to increase their defense budgets and work to develop specialized units of value to NATO.

Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia expressed their support of the U.S.-led war on terrorism and participated in Operation Enduring Freedom. They have created a joint regional defense unit, composed of a company from each state (BALTBAT), a joint Baltic Naval Squadron (BALTRON) and a Baltic Air Surveillance Network (BALTNET). The states are economically and politically stable and continue their reforms in order to root out corruption and ensure that political, economic, and interethnic stability remains.

Following their oral presentations, Chairman Lugar inquired whether it is possible that any of the new NATO members may change their minds and not uphold the ideals of democracy and freedom that bind NATO members. All three witnesses agreed those chances are slim and that such a scenario would be possible only during a major economic catastrophe. Otherwise, the witnesses at the hearing claimed that public opinion in the aspirant countries is strongly on the side of democratic development and continuing market reforms. Joining NATO would only reinforce this support and ensure that the new NATO members implement their reforms in a speedier manner.

The witnesses and Sen. Lugar also remarked that NATO expansion opens a set of new questions as to who will join the alliance later. Both the committee chairman and the experts agreed that eventually there would be a need to admit Ukraine.

"Ukraine, of course, is the grand prize [in further expansion]," stated Mr. Simon. According to him, admitting Ukraine to NATO will become a necessity because it would tie together the whole region: from the Baltic states in the north, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia in the west, and Bulgaria and Romania in the south. Mr. Simon expressed his opinion that the Baltic states and Poland would have an internal pressure to include Ukraine in the alliance based on their ties and proximity.

Mr. Bugajski agreed that Ukraine would eventually be admitted into NATO along with Moldova. In his opinion, the admission of Romania sets a great example for admission of these two states, which have achieved relative stability (Ukraine more so than Moldova), but still have some issues requiring resolution.

In general, the spirit of the hearing confirmed that NATO expansion is a necessary and inevitable process motivated by the new developments in the relationship between the United States and Germany and France. The United States may need to change its "footprint" in Europe and develop new relationships with the states that support its anti-terrorism policies. The newest NATO members demonstrated their commitment to partnership and cooperation and enabled the United States to receive international support it needs in the fight against terror.

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