NEW YORK TIMES Editorial: …It clearly makes sense for NATO to strengthen its defenses. Building permanent bases nearer to Russia, however, could be risky and counterproductive at this time. There is no indication that Mr. Putin is foolish enough to make a land grab for Poland or the Baltic states. The challenge is to firmly and credibly signal an enduring commitment to defend the allies while not making current tensions worse.
That, in turn, will require NATO countries, many of which have cut military spending, to pitch in. In 2006, the 28 members of the alliance agreed to spend 2 percent, a bare minimum, of their G.D.P.’s on defense. By 2012, only three besides the United States had met even that modest goal: Britain, Greece and Estonia. The burden borne by America has grown so disproportionate — from 50 percent of NATO defense spending during the Cold War to 70 percent today — that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has warned that the alliance itself could be in trouble.
It is also important for the leaders of the Group of 7 industrialized countries, who met in Brussels on Wednesday, to keep the pressure on Mr. Putin to persuade the separatists in eastern Ukraine to end the violence and intimidation that continue to destabilize the country. The leaders took an important step in that regard when they warned that if Mr. Putin fails to act, the West will impose more severe sanctions beyond bans on travel and asset transfers already put in place against dozens of Russian and Crimean officials… (more)
