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US Forces in Eastern Europe to Deter
Nonexistent Russian Aggression


By Stephen Lendman
1-7-17

 
In his waning days in office, Obama is going all-out to provoke Russia recklessly.

He imposed new illegal sanctions, expelled Russian diplomats, blamed Moscow for nonexistent US election hacking, and deployed more US combat troops and heavy weapons to Eastern European countries on the phony pretext of deterring “Russian aggression.”

Pentagon Special Operations Command head General Raymond Thomas lied, claiming former Soviet republics are “scared to death of Russia,” absurdly adding “(t)hey’re desperate for our leadership.”

Washington maintains a permanent presence provocatively close to Russia’s borders, requiring Moscow to respond defensively, uncertain what America might do, hoping Trump will pursue saner policies far different from Obama’s recklessness.

Added numbers of combat troops and heavy weapons from America and key NATO partners will maintain a permanent presence in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Rumania and Bulgaria. They’ll hold joint military exercises with host country forces.

Their mission is unrelated to defense. No Russian threat exists. US General Timothy McGuire, saying “(t)he best way to maintain the peace is through preparation.”

America’s deployment is about “showing the strength and cohesion of the alliance and the US commitment to maintain the peace on the continent.”

Fact: Longstanding US policy calls for endless wars of aggression, peace and stability anathema to its imperial agenda.

Fact: Building up near Russia’s borders is hugely destabilizing, risking possible direct confrontation by design or human error.

Fact: Obama is recklessly pushing the envelope in his final days in office. Trump called for normalizing relations with Russia, both countries cooperating in combating terrorism, while maintaining a healthy skepticism about NATO - a US-dominated killing machine unrelated to defense.

Neocons infesting Washington wants no change in aggressive US policy. They want adversarial relations with Russia continued.

Their agenda represents a huge challenge for Trump to overcome if he intends diverging from longstanding US geopolitical policies.

Efforts to undermine him are well underway. He risks impeachment or removal from office by something more extreme - full-blown tyranny replacing him if he’s ousted.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

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