[hdjjhhvvhga]

I heard many of these arguments along the lines of "NATO is responsible for the war in Ukraine because they shouldn't expand" - like prof. John Mearsheimer's famous video.

The point is, these experts may understand geopolitics, but they don't understand people. These countries don't join NATO because the USA pushes them or because "NATO wants" to expand. They do it because they're afraid of an aggressive state with a history of offensive wars. They don't want to became Putin's vassals like Belarussians who recently tried to decide about themselves and met with violent terror. So yes, in the mind of Putin it's the fault of NATO, but it is a very sick point of view.

[throwaway5371]

in bulgaria there is a saying: only nato can save you from nato

you are in misunderstanding why countries join the alliance

[baq]

I don't know about bulgaria, but this is absolutely, categorically not true in the Baltics and in Poland. The primary motivation is to not become a russian puppet state... again.

[borg_]

> These countries don't join NATO because the USA pushes them or because "NATO wants" to expand.

Of course smaller countries with less security guarantees want to join NATO! It's the most powerful military pact and once you are in you can go around punching up against much larger countries! Who wouldn't want to?

Even Russia wanted to join NATO, an idea floated after WWII when the Russians fought against the Nazis alongside the allied forces. Of course that was dismissed as a pipe-dream because the existence of NATO was to contain Russia to the east.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93NATO_relations#...

[a0-prw]

> Of course that was dismissed as a pipe-dream because the existence of NATO was to contain Russia to the east.

Ironically, you have just confirmed what Russia believes justifies its actions in Ukraine.

[borg_]

not trying to "confirm" anything here... if you actually look at any of Putin's interview this is basically the only thing he kept on blabbering about... of course nobody in the west should or care to listen to the "madman" but the warning sign has been flashing all along.

[baq]

AFAIK Chechnya did not aspire to NATO and still Grozny got leveled.

[hdjjhhvvhga]

> Who wouldn't want to?

Nobody sane.