Another new year 2008 and still the question lingers!!Should Russia be allowed to become a member of NATO which is first of all a major question about the precepts of EAST and West....diplomatically--militarily--socially and economically--Now that the GLOBAL ECONOMY seems to have superceded ideology in world matters!!
REMEMBER...NATO was mainly and initially formed due to a threat to
the WEST from RUSSIA to the EAST!!!

..BUT times and philosophies and the geo-political map has changed greatly especially since the end of the alleged COLD WAR.;Russia has changed many of its approaches both militarily and economically,especially under VLADIMIR PUTIN as he and his associates have realized that if you want to compete and win in todays world and be accepted you must be economically updated and competitive in the world market and have a military approach which is acceptable and sane for other countries to accept so as not to view you as a threatening enemy....FOR SURE...RUSSIA has changed especially since the downfall of the OLD SOVIET UNION and in fact exchanges intelligence and some of its secrets with western powers especially the United States in the area of defense and exploration of space!RUSSIA was one of five countries prior to the 911 attack against the U.S. which gave STRONG and very good INTELLIGENCE leads about the pending attack, how it wouldbe carried out and who some of the players behind the attack were!!Needless to say the U.S should have taken the leads more seriously as RUSSIA is just about the best in counter intelligence and keeping up on enemies of the world and Russia definitely is an enemy of terrorism which is a good precept for beingconsidered a NON THREAT and being considered for accepetance into NATO ..A good example is just look at the RUSSIAN-AFGHAN WAR !!..

It was the United States who supported the Afghan rebels and OSAMA BIN LADEN
who was on the C.I.A. payroll..YES-YES...Imagine to help defeat Russia who has
helped the United States and other countries in many ways since the collapse
of the Soviet Union!
..Now with PUTIN.. diplomacy and the military will continue to
change become strong again!!

So..for NATO this can work to the advantage of the European Community!!

TRUE...Some things and ways never change but perhaps Russia has changed
more in the past eight or nine years than many European countries have
cvhanged in the past sixteen years!!
And when the COLD WAR was on the U.S. nor RUSSIA was attacked and
there was more of a balance of power to keep peace and rogue countries in tact.!!

...And consequently there really never was a real military war but rather more of
an idealogical espionage head game to see who could out do the other in the
world of diplomatic chess.....We must watch the Russians BUT they have changed because they HAVE to, just as Germany did and now the U.S. is rrealizing it also
must also adjust to be acceptable with the times!!

Both in geo-political diversities and changing economic policies and major changes
in EUROPE!!!
..However RUSSIA must stop trying to apply threatening power against the
great UKRAINE which was --indeed-- a major part of the old
Soviet Union!!

...BUT to this day Russia has NEVER attacked the U.S. or most countries in Europe
and in fact fought WITH the allies in WORLD WAR TWO against Germany
and ADOLPH HITLER and the Russians lost thousands and thousands of soldiers!!

.....Yes they did invade Czechoslovakia and Hungary and we can never forget this but the country and its policies have indeed changed and there is also NO Adolph Hitler in Germany at least none we know of, and other countries in Eastern Europe: have also changed their political and socio-economic perspective!!At the end of the "cold war" there was the Partnership for Peace agreement and the LONDON DECLARATION signed in 1990 and the NATO- RUSSIA JOINT PEACE COUNCIL has paved the way for Russia to be admitted into the NATO alliance!..The ONE main obstacle is that to this day and in the beginning a number of countries still view Russia as a threat and agressive power to be reckoned with!!And YES they are the EAST and not the WEST but now the WORLD THREAT is TERRORISM not just for North America but especially for the EUROPEAN COMMUNITYand Russia is a neighbor-LIKE IT OR NOT and one READY to fight terrorism and help keep the balance of power in tact!...Basically RUSSIA is on the correct path but must show NATO members that it really wants to have a TRUE DEMOCRACY and of expression rather than a country where eighty eight journalists just happened to lose their lives last year despite a new approach with the economy and military!!..That is more than the sixty four who died in war torn Iraq!..Also it must back away from continuing to apply pressure on the UKRAINE who wants to join NATO or at least its president Victor Yuschenko does, so there is still this mind set that..it is backward thinking that if we are a member of the NATO country club why not others such as Russia--Bring them in and find out where they are thinking, then they are not as much of a threat--Remember the old saying..Stay close to your friends and even closer to your enemies--or so called enemies!!

.....Therein lies the question mark for many neighboring countries
who still distrtust Russias' genuine desire to be friends and a team player in NATO!
The RUSSIANS are very clever so why not use those talents and ways to
use and allow them or seriously consider them as a new member of NATO!!

..They realize that the playing field has changed but so should
other European countries..It is now 2008 NOT 1968!!

As history will reveal the BIG BEAR is not just wise but old and like the smart hunting wolf could be a great asset for EUROPOEAN SECURITY and keeping the terrorist threat to a minimum!..Times have CHANGED and all countries must view dipolomacy from a more progressive point of view!..It is fair to say that now the WEST needs Russia as much as they need us and a strong western alliance!!
Wes Rodgers PATRIOTS TV and patriotstv.com