In 1954, the USSR requested to join NATO. The US President at the time, Dwight D Eisenhower, rejected their application, believing that their intention was to weaken it from the inside. How different would the world be today if they had been allowed to join? Russia wouldn't have been permitted by the NATO alliance to invade its neighbour for a start... NATO is a treaty. It's an agreement which binds signatories to 14 articles . These are (summarised): Try to settle differences peacefully Be proactive at promoting peace Develop individual and collective defence capabilities Consult with each other over claimed border disputes An attack on one is an attack on all. All members will defend any member under attack Defines where and what is defined as an attack Abide by UN charter Not currently doing anything that conflicts with these articles Form a council to manage membership Be able to unanimously invite other nations to join Process of membership ratification managed by USA Revi...
My kids call me Grom (Grumpy Old Man). OK, pedants will know that ought to be GOM, but a Grom sounds grumpy. I started building internet businesses in the 1980s and these days invest in other peoples' start-ups. Now that less of my life is about to happen than has happened, I've got a lot to get off my chest. This blog is a series of posts about things that annoy me, things that excite me or things that just need to be said. Grumbles of a Grom... Grombles