Something to celebrate Oct 29, 2009
All across the Warsaw Pact the jailers of the Communist prison states lost their nerve, and the cell walls crumbled. I wonder why the anniversary is going all but unnoticed here. (Casper Star-Tribune, WY)
The Whereabouts of the Imprisoned Polish Memory, Wojciech Przybylski, Eurozine Oct 28, 2009
"Maybe it has something to do with the Warsaw Pact?" wondered 18-year-old Lara from North Rhine-Westphalia, Western Germany, in response to a question from a PAP correspondent. Lara and her companions, all born in the already united Germany, admitted that they are not especially interested in what happened in 1989 in the former German Democratic Republic and other countries in central and eastern Europe. (Harper's Magazine)
'Reset' Translates as 'Capitulation' Sep 19, 2009
United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ukraine and the rest of the former Warsaw Pact. Are you watching this. (Townhall.com)
Did America Win the Cold War? Sep 12, 2009
Gradual relaxation from the Kremlin towards its satellite Warsaw Pact states. The triumphant return of the Pope to his native Poland in 1979 and the support of the mainly Catholic citizens which has been classed as leading to the creation of the Solidarity movement and subsequent turmoil in Poland. (Suite101.com)
Europe opposed unified Germany: Soviet memos Sep 12, 2009
Mrs Thatcher told Mr Gorbachev the destabilisation of Eastern Europe and the breakdown of the Warsaw Pact was not in the West's interest. She noted the enormous change sweeping Eastern Europe but insisted the West would not push for its ''decommunisation'', pledging the security of the Soviet Union would not be threatened. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Obama Plan To End Missile Defense Worries Experts Sep 10, 2009
Russia has long opposed U.S. plans to build the bases in the two former Warsaw Pact, now Nato, nations and threatened last year to place cruise missiles in its Kaliningrad region. located adjacent to Poland. (Newsmax)
Retired general gets rare award Sep 7, 2009
Hultman, in particular, has been active in working with the former Warsaw Pact nations of eastern Europe, such as Bulgaria, now members of NATO s Partnership for Peace program as many of them make the transition to full NATO membership. Hultman, a graduate of East High School, entered the Army in 1943 as an infantry private and was discharged from active duty as a captain in 1946, having served as a battalion commander overseas, but continued with the Reserves. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
Albania, the Muslim World's Most Pro-American State Sep 5, 2009
Like many servicemen, they were told by their commander that because their small, isolated army would be greatly outnumbered by invading forces from NATO or the Warsaw Pact, each of them would have to kill 100 men. Looking to his poor comrade, Dori's father told the commander, "He can handle at most 72 or 73. But not to worryI will kill the remaining 28.". (Slate)
Hungary and Slovakia: Frost bite Sep 3, 2009
August 21st is the anniversary of the Soviet-led invasion that crushed the then Czechoslovakia s Prague spring in 1968, and Hungary was one of the Warsaw Pact countries that took part. That excuse seems flimsy. (The Economist)
On Aug. 20, 1866, President Andrew Johnson formally declared the Civil War over Aug 30, 2009
On Aug. 20, 1968, the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations began invading Czechoslovakia to crush the "Prague Spring" liberalization drive led by Alexander Dubcek. On this date. (FOX61, CT)
A Doctrine of No Retreat Aug 23, 2009
It was enunciated by Leonid Brezhnev in Warsaw in November 1968 as a retrospective justification for the Soviet-led invasion of Prague the previous August by Warsaw Pact forces to halt Czechoslovakia's liberalization. The doctrine was supposed to guarantee that history would be directional, controlled by a leftward-clicking ratchet. (Townhall.com)
* Hungary, Slovakia in war of words as president is barred Aug 23, 2009
Aug. 21 is remembered in Slovakia as the day in 1968 when what was then Czechoslovakia was occupied by Warsaw Pact troops to crush the Prague Spring reform drive by the countrys communist leadership. This is a situation unheard of, inexcusable and unexplainable in the relationship of two allied countries, Solyom said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
Russia Poised Again To Fight Ge00004000orgia Aug 18, 2009
That view challenges President Obama s promise to reset our relationship with Moscow to bring it closer to the West and to advance freedom to former Warsaw Pact countries. But Russia has a different view of its future. (Human Events Online)
Spheres Of Influence Aug 9, 2009
An invasion from the West may seem a remote fear, but imagine if Russia invited Canada to join a revived defensive Warsaw Pact. The prospect of tank battles in North Dakota would amuse few in our country besides military scenario-spinners. (The American Conservative)
Timeline: Germany Aug 3, 2009
1955 - West Germany joins Nato; East Germany joins the Warsaw Pact. 1957 - West Germany joins the European Economic Community. (BBC News -- Europe)
Atomic Policies and Early Cold War ... Jul 25, 2009
The Iron Curtain separated NATO troops from the Warsaw Pact. The stalemate was beyond Containment and liberation was out of the question. (Suite101.com)
India plays catch-up in the great game Jul 18, 2009
Some Russian commentators have forecast that the CSTO is destined to become Warsaw Pact II.. Continued 1 3. (Asia Times Online)
Israel Faces Bombing Iran Alone Jul 8, 2009
The operation had undercut the Eisenhower administration's denunciation of the Soviet invasion of Hungary, where the revolution was brutally suppressed by Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces. Disgraced by "Ike," British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden was forced to resign, a humiliating end to a brilliant career. (Newsmax)
* Czech shadow hovers over Slovakia Jul 8, 2009
Other critics said it was an insult that Slovakia X the first former Warsaw Pact country to join the euro zone, in January X was being compared with Hungary, the economic sick man of the region. The fierce reaction underlined both the insecurities that continue to dog the European project, and the ambivalence of relations between Slovakia and its richer, larger neighbor 16 years after their velvet divorce in 1993. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
The Wink That Changed the World Jul 7, 2009
And so, in the interests of self-preservation, the satraps of the Warsaw Pact marshaled their forces ... And so it was that the Warsaw Pact's leaders assembled in Bucharest ... This was his first Warsaw Pact summit. (Slate)
Reading Palin Plain Jul 7, 2009
This is the way the Warsaw Pact folded, not with a bang but a gesture. Michael Meyer | July 6, 2009. (Slate)
Cold War Without End Jul 1, 2009
While the former Warsaw Pact nations dropped their planned economies in search of fresh free-market identities, the collapse of communism failed to inspire a similar civilizational stock-taking on the part of the United States. Might the past two decades years fraught with wars of sanctions, occupations, and terror have been different if it had. (The American Conservative)
Will Germany's Army Ever Be Ready for Battle? Jun 27, 2009
Initially, the German army's main job was to work with its NATO allies to prevent any attack that might come from Warsaw Pact members. According to Dieter Krger, a military historian at the Institute for Military History in Potsdam, it was only after France left NATO in 1966 that Germany's military role became stronger. (Time.com)
Britain releases WWIII planning manual Jun 24, 2009
Warsaw Pact troops are massing on the Austrian border, and nuclear showdown looms between east and west. This scenario never happened except in planning exercises by British civil servants, who meticulously rehearsed how they would govern Britain in the days before, and after, World War III. The details are included in the "War Book," a secret Cold War manual declassified this month for the first time. (MSNBC -- International)
Russia Will Cut Arms Stockpiles If U.S. Alters Shield Plan, Medvedev Says Jun 21, 2009
Ties between Russia and the U.S. reached a post-Cold War low, and arms talks foundered, under former President , who pushed plans to deploy a missile shield in former Warsaw Pact countries the Czech Republic and Poland against Russian opposition. Obama, who will visit Moscow from July 6 to July 8, has indicated greater flexibility on the plan. (Bloomberg -- Germany)
Iran Is Not the Enemy Jun 18, 2009
These are used as weapons and threats by the Basiji, a sort of pro-government Islamic militia that is deployed to intimidate any public expression of opposition, much as similar people s militias were used by Warsaw Pact states to ensure the Communist Party s rule went unchallenged. I was also unpleasantly surprised, during an evening stroll through Mashhad, to encounter a shop entirely devoted to the sale of chadors, the enveloping black shroud favored by the mullahs. (The American Conservative)
America loses a decorated diplomat Jun 3, 2009
He taught military strategy all over the world, including four years for the Chief of U.S. Naval Operations, and five years as Associate Director of the George C. Marshall Center in Germany, where he instructed many former Communists, as well as other military and civilian leaders from 40 different Warsaw Pact countries, in post-Cold War democratic principles. A trusted American patriot, he served under nine different presidents, garnering awards like the U.S. Navy Distinguished Public Service... (Green Valley News & Sun, AZ)
Russia panel to 'protect history' May 20, 2009
In many former Warsaw Pact countries and Soviet republics, the years of the Soviet Union are seen as a hostile occupation. Russia has strongly objected to its former allies' moving or removing Soviet-era memorials, or attempting to ban Soviet symbols, saying this equates Communism to Nazism. (BBC News -- Europe)
NYT: Taliban may be acquiring U.S. arms May 20, 2009
It is used in Kalashnikov rifles and their knockoffs, and has been made in many countries, including Russia, China, Ukraine, North Korea, Cuba, India, Pakistan, the United States, the former Warsaw Pact nations and several countries in Africa. Several countries have multiple factories, each associated with distinct markings. (MSNBC -- International)
Eurovision fame May 15, 2009
Not to be outsung, the Warsaw Pact came up with its own version of Eurovision - the Intervision Song Contest. But it did not last. (BBC News -- Europe)
It's time to end the Cold War May 12, 2009
However, after the Warsaw Pact armies went home, NATO continued to act as if the Cold War were still being fought - and it still does ... In the same month, despite the promises previously given, NATO was joined by three former Warsaw Pact members: Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. (Globe and Mail)
* Elephants in the room: Questions NATO continues to avoid Apr 28, 2009
But the Warsaw Pact, the Soviet Unions anti-NATO alliance of socialist countries, was dissolved in 1991; communism imploded the same year, with Russia caught ever since in a struggle to build a market economy and define a new global position for itself. At a time when Russia was taking a more pacific course, NATO X unlike the Warsaw Pact X was not dismantled. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
Timeline: Poland Apr 14, 2009
1955 - Poland joins the Warsaw Pact defence organisation. LECH WALESA. (BBC News -- Europe)
Tales from Obama's Grand Tour -- Did You Miss These Stories? Apr 13, 2009
A reporter in the Netherlands likened the reception Obama received to the way Gorbachev was initially -- enthusiastically -- welcomed by the Warsaw Pact countries in the late 80 s. The BBC surprisingly probed Beyond the Obama Magic. The German publication, der Spiegel, observed that the visit did not portend a new world order. (Human Events Online)
* The vanishing bomb Apr 8, 2009
Sparked by Polands Solidarity movement, the Warsaw Pact dissolved, the Soviet Union disintegrated, and the bipolar world and its East-West divide vanished. A non-proliferation regime will not be effective unless the major nuclear powers, especially the US and Russia, take urgent steps. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
Obama lays out steps for a nuclear free world Apr 6, 2009
Obama's visit comes as Eastern Europe marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 10th anniversary of the admittance of the first former Warsaw Pact nations Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary into NATO.. Czechs flock to see Obama. (Christian Science Monitor)
NATO changes to stay relevant Apr 5, 2009
After the demise of the Warsaw Pact organization in 1991, NATO lost its potential enemy and at the same time its raison d'etre. NATO then had to find new reasons for its continued existence -- that is exactly what it is doing today. (Xinhuanet, China)
Swiss stay on sidelines as Nato hits 60 Apr 5, 2009
V.M.: After the fall of the Soviet Union and the break up of the Warsaw Pact there were also plenty of people expecting Nato to end. That it survives can be put down first and foremost to a successful fundamental transformation process which began at the latest in 1994 and adapted to new security challenges. (SwissInfo.org, Switzerland)
Globocop versus the TermiNATO Apr 4, 2009
When seven countries from the former Warsaw Pact were admitted in 2004, the soundtrack came from the ghastly Titanic blockbuster ... As much as his personal mission in the 1970s was to prevent the Warsaw Pact from infiltrating West Germany, his mission nowadays is to prevent al-Qaeda from, in his words, "infiltrating Europe or the United States". (Asia Times Online)
Heading in the same direction? Apr 4, 2009
But many allies will worry that appointing a figure from the former Warsaw Pact, from a country that agreed to deploy American anti-missile defences on its soil, might antagonise Russia. This may explain why Mr Sikorski has been working hard to reassure the Kremlin of late, even suggesting that Russia could one day become a member of NATO.. (The Economist)
Obama woos allies at NATO summit Apr 3, 2009
Since then the military alliance has grown to 28 members including several countries that were once in the Warsaw Pact, but NATO leaders will mix the celebrations with discussions of the challenges now facing the alliance. Their formal meetings on Saturday will be dominated by NATO's mission in Afghanistan, where 70,000 troops -- mostly under NATO command -- are at war. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Albania, Croatia join NATO military alliance Apr 2, 2009
Last expansion was in 2004Founded in 1949, NATO has twice taken on new members since the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, its Soviet-dominated Cold War foe. Seven former communist nations entered in 2004, following Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic who joined in 1999. (MSNBC -- International)
Shooting stars Apr 1, 2009
East Germany and Romania privately canvassed the idea of a Warsaw Pact intervention of the kind which had crushed Czechoslovakia in 1968. But with Gorbachev in charge, their plans gained no traction. (BBC News)
Talks on renewing disarmament help defrost US-Russia relations Mar 30, 2009
The eastern expansion of NATO to include former Warsaw Pact states has also been a bone of contention. Mr Prikhodko said Mr Medvedev would remind Mr Obama about Moscow's concern over the missile plans. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Welcome to the Bizarro World Mar 28, 2009
We have the government of Sweden -- who we had been led to believe were practically so communist they were the last surviving member of the Warsaw Pact -- unhesitatingly , while the ultra-capitalist U.S. sentimentally coddled the dying carcass of in its fiscal arms. We have the Chinese, lectured by the entire world for gaming their currency not more than a year ago, proposing a new alternative currency and while no one is clamoring to sign up now, they are taking this idea and Chinese critiques... (Slate)
Why not let go of NATO? Mar 28, 2009
Breaking our word to Mikhail Gorbachev, we invited into NATO six former member states of the Warsaw Pact and three former republics of the Soviet Union. George W. Bush was disconsolate he could not bring in Georgia and Ukraine. (The American Conservative)
Can Uncle Sam Ever Let Go? Mar 27, 2009
" "Relics of another era" -- thus did Stephen Meyer, in Parameters in 2003, begin his essay "Carcass of Dead Policies: The Irrelevance of NATO." NATO has been irrelevant for two decades, since its raison d'etre -- to keep the Red Army from driving to the Rhine -- disappeared. Yet Obama is headed to Brussels to celebrate France's return and the 60th birthday of the alliance. But why is NATO still soldiering on? In 1989, the Wall fell. Germany was reunited. The Captive Nations cast off communism.... (Townhall.com)
The Cold War revisited? Mar 25, 2009
"My judgment in that is that the events of last August in Georgia essentially changed the assumption that we made 15 years ago or more. "And the assumption after the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact was that there were no borders that were under threat of invasion in Europe and Eurasia, that that would not be the case," he said. "And I think that assumption has been now proven false. " While Washington has planned to reduce the size of US forces... (iAfrica.com)
Obama Wants To "Reset" Relations With Russia and Iran. Good Luck. Mar 24, 2009
Speaking to past and present policymakersseveral of whom helped to dismember the Warsaw Pact and expand NATO in the 1990she offered his own version of those events as well as of some more current ones. Among other things, he said, or implied, that the West lied to Russia; that NATO remains a threat to Russia; that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe should replace NATO as the primary Western security organization; and that, by the way, Russia has plenty of potential... (Slate)
* US backs Dane for NATO post Mar 23, 2009
Chief among them was Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, rumored to have coveted the position of first NATO secretary general from new Europe, the Warsaw Pact countries that joined the alliance in the 1990s. One senior NATO official said Sikorski wouldnt fit well with US willingness to seek closer ties with Russia. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Profile: Nato Mar 18, 2009
In 1955 the Soviet Union created a counter-alliance called the Warsaw Pact, which dissolved after the break-up of the USSR in 1991. The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland became the first former Warsaw Pact countries to gain Nato membership in 1999 ... The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and subsequent demise of the Warsaw Pact, therefore, left Nato with no obvious purpose. (BBC News -- Europe)
French reintegration into NATO likely to estrange Russia? Mar 16, 2009
France was actually a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO), an allied organization created after World War II and serving as a counterweight against the Warsaw Pact, in particular, designed to defend the West against the Soviet Union. In March 1966, however, de Gaulle made a powerful symbolic decision that France would withdraw from NATO's integrated military and leadership structures, as de Gaulle refused to allow the French armed forces to fall under the U.S. command... (People's Daily Online, China)
U.S. may join Franco-German EU copter project Mar 14, 2009
In the medium term, the EDA is trying to make up for the shortage of helicopters suitable for overseas missions by upgrading some of the 200 Soviet-designed Mi-17 helicopters used by former Warsaw Pact states' armed forces, but a shortage of funds caused by the economic downturn has hampered the project. Germany is looking to replace some 40 of its transport helicopters by 2020, and France needs 20 -- a total defense need that experts say would not by itself justify the 2 billion euro ( 2. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
* France contemplates new approach to NATO's military structure Mar 14, 2009
When the Warsaw Pact existed, NATO troops were positioned in such a way that any attack would collectively involve most of the allies. The whole Central Front was tightly coordinated and even France was involved in NATO planning through a set of special agreements. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Back in the fold Mar 12, 2009
He said the concerns over French sovereignty that prompted the withdrawal in 1966 were no longer relevant: "[De Gaulle] did not want foreign troops stationed in France that were not under French command. The context has changed now. The Warsaw Pact and the communist threat no longer exist.". Mr Kouchner's arguments were endorsed by Le Figaro editorialist Pierre Rousselin: "Rather than just applying decisions taken by others, our military and our industries will be able to take part in the... (BBC News -- Europe)
No work and no play ... Mar 7, 2009
Following from Adolf Hitler, various communist countries quickly adopted sports as a matter of national prestige starting with the Soviet Union [5], a focus not lost on its acolytes in the rest of the Warsaw Pact as well as others including China and Cuba. All this while other countries, including the United States and those in Western Europe, broadened the commercial appeal of sports; the 1951 live telecast of a college football game in the US opened the doors for sportsmen to become idolized... (Asia Times Online)
Alliance agrees to reopen dialogue with Russia Mar 6, 2009
Andrew Kuchins, director of the Russia and Eurasia program of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it is "natural that some allies, notably the Baltic states and former Warsaw Pact members, are concerned about NATO overtures to Russia.". "However, I think the best way to enhance their security and sovereignty is to foster a much more positive relationship and greater cooperation between NATO and Russia," he said. (Insight on the News)
Army Mom Reports For Duty With Kids In Tow Mar 3, 2009
The individual inactive reserve was set up as a Cold War measure to provide a way to mobilize quickly so we could support NATO in case of a conventional invasion by the old Warsaw Pact nations. This was the intent and purpose of the law for putting veterans on the individual inactive reserve was to have a reserve of trained manpower to be called up in time of dire national emergency only. (CBS News -- US)
Europe's off-again, on-again crush on Obama Feb 28, 2009
NATO, the world's longest-lived alliance, will celebrate its 60th anniversary this April along with all the former Warsaw Pact members that lined up to join it and the European Union after Soviet troops withdrew from their territory. So thoroughly did the Europeans internalize the consensus style introduced by Washington after 1945, that they adopted and expanded on it as the EU's own method of decisionmaking. (Yahoo News)
Turkey's song and dance over Eurovision Feb 25, 2009
From 1999 to 2008, all but two of the contests were won by a member of either the Balkan Bloc or the Viking Empire, with the exceptions the 2004 contest won by Ukraine and the 2008 contest won by Russia, both members of a smaller voting alliance known as the "Warsaw Pact" - though given last month's dispute over gas supplies the chances of Ukraine giving Russia its usual high vote look slim this year. Though the supposed goal of Eurovision is unifying the greater continent through music, it has... (Asia Times Online)
America in 1955: A country of commies? Feb 24, 2009
The Warsaw Pact was formed that year; West Germany joined NATO. Disneyland opened. Illinois passed a Loyalty Oath Act, requiring all state employees to take an oath or be fired. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
A Hungarian refugee endured torture but began anew in Portland Feb 22, 2009
The spontaneous national uprising that had begun 12 days earlier forced Soviet troops to withdraw, and Prime Minister Imre Nagy announced that Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact and be a neutral country. In the early hours of Nov. 4, however, Soviet tanks rolled into Hungary to crush the revolution. (OregonLive, OR -- News)
NATO Meeting In Poland Feb 19, 2009
But Moscow, wary of any boost in the U.S. military presence in former Warsaw Pact states, wants Washington to reciprocate by scrapping the anti-missile project, a move that would strain America's ties with Poland and the Czech Republic. Other topics on the packed agenda in Krakow include strategies for streamlining the alliance's command structure and redefining its doctrine to encompass out-of-area operations such as the anti-piracy patrols off the Somali coast. (CBS News -- World)
US and Russia see common cause Feb 18, 2009
The erstwhile Warsaw Pact countries of Central Europe, which enjoyed Washington's patronage in standing up to Moscow, may feel let down. The Central Asians may lose the space to play Moscow and Washington against each other and derive advantage. (Asia Times Online)
NATOs Double Standards Make for a Hollow Alliance Feb 8, 2009
Furthermore, deep resentment felt by a number of Western European governments towards the Bush administration in the aftermath of the Iraqi invasion further exacerbated tensions with former Warsaw Pact countries vying for Washington s attention. Nowhere have the growing cleavages within the alliance been as evident as in Afghanistan, where NATO maintains 50,000-strong contingent under the aegis of the UN-sanctioned International Security Assistance Force. (YaleGlobal Online Magazine, CT)
