The final time NATO invoked Article 5 was in 2001, the day after New York’s Twin Towers had been attacked.
The ‘all for one – one for all’ article of NATO’s treaty requires the alliance to behave collectively if one member comes beneath assault.
This time there can be no rush to judgement. The enemy just isn’t a band of terrorists hiding out in Afghanistan, however a nuclear armed former superpower at present engaged in all-out battle with a NATO-backed neighbour.
The stakes are very excessive, as we can be repeatedly warned within the hours forward. We may also hear officers doing what they’ll to purchase time.
The Pentagon says it can’t affirm the reviews. It virtually definitely is aware of much more than that. But officers don’t need to begin a strategy of escalation that can be arduous to reverse.
The precedence can be establishing the details, or a story NATO can dwell with. They is probably not the identical factor.
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There could also be an harmless rationalization. Russian fired greater than 85 missiles in the course of the day. Precision-guided, however they’ll malfunction.
But for 9 months Russia has managed to keep away from hitting Ukraine’s neighbours. Was it a coincidence this occurred when world leaders had been assembly with out Vladimir Putin for the G20 in Bali?
It could also be a plausibly deniable deliberate act. An assault made to appear like an accident, testing NATO whereas world leaders are gathered on the opposite aspect of the world.
If that’s the case it is going to require a response. Anything much less can be an indication of weak spot – and that might embolden Russia to take extra provocative assaults in future. But overreacting dangers harmful escalation.
Source: information.sky.com”