Have you had enough of the Russia bashing yet? The anti-Russia rhetoric can be heard frequently in the mainstream media, and the new issue at hand is the expansion of NATO further into the Balkans. The Cold War-era alliance is looking to grab its third constituent country from the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Although opinion polls within Montenegro show a huge split between those in favor of membership and those opposed, this will not stop the American-dominated alliance from infuriating the giant Russian bear. Perhaps Senator Rand Paul can fly the bald eagle in the right direction.
NATO has been moving into what was formerly seen as the Russian sphere of influence since the end of the Cold War, and the promise made by President George H. W. Bush that this expansion would not occur in exchange for the reunification of Germany and the end of the conflict was broken with the admission of the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland in 1999 (some American officials like to argue that this promise did not occur to justify their actions). This obviously had implications that have led to deteriorated relations between the United States and Russia. It can, therefore, be argued that so-called intrusions by Russia into countries like Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine are responses to the United States creeping ever-closer to the Russian border. Plus, Russia has not invaded these countries, but has rather intervened in response to situations and conflicts that arise there between the governments and pro-Russian citizens.