Propaganda Alert
Ex-general Says NATO-Russia Nuclear War
‘Possible Within A Year’
By
RT
May 18, 2016 "Information
Clearing House"
- "RT"
-
NATO’s former deputy military chief in Europe
says his book, a fictional story which describes
a nuclear war with Russia over the Baltic
nations taking place in 2017, is based on an
“entirely plausible” scenario.
General
Sir Richard Shirreff, from Britain, served at
the second-highest NATO military office in
Europe between 2011 and 2014. He says his
experience acquired in the alliance of
war-gaming future conflicts helped him model the
narrative for the book.
According to his scenario, starting next year
Russia would first occupy Ukraine to secure a
land route to Crimea and then invade the three
Baltic nations, all of which are members of
NATO. The move, Shirreff argued, would be driven
by the perception of NATO’s weakness and
Russia’s opposition to what it sees as the
alliance’s attempts to encircle it.
“We need to judge President [Vladimir] Putin by his
deeds not his words,” the
retired general told BBC Radio 4’s Today program.
“He has invaded Georgia,
he has invaded the Crimea, he has invaded Ukraine.
He has used force and got away with it.”
The
supposed invasion of Georgia in 2008 was Russia’s
response to a Georgian attack on its breakaway
region of South Ossetia, which started with the
killings of Russian peacekeepers stationed there to
prevent such hostilities. Russia responded by
defeating the NATO-trained Georgian Army and
withdrew. Moscow later recognized South Ossetia as a
sovereign state, formalizing its de facto
independence from Georgia that had been in place
since the 1990s.
The
supposed invasion of Ukraine in 2014 was Russia’s
use of its troops, which were legally deployed in
Crimea under a treaty with Ukraine, to prevent
hostilities after an armed coup in Kiev. The Crimean
people, who overwhelmingly opposed the new Ukrainian
government and its nationalistic leanings, voted in
a referendum to part ways with Ukraine and rejoin
Russia.
If Russia
used military force against any NATO members, the
entire alliance would be obliged to declare war on
Russia. The US is the most powerful member of NATO
and has the world’s biggest military force.
According to Shirreff, Russia would use its nuclear
arsenal to counter NATO’s response.
“Be under no illusion whatsoever – Russian use of
nuclear weapons is hardwired into Moscow’s military
strategy,” he said,
omitting the fact that NATO’s nuclear nations – the
US, Britain and France – have always kept a
pre-emptive nuclear strike as a possible option.
Russia dropped its pledge not to use nuclear weapons
first in 1993.
A scenario
of conflict between Russia and NATO members over one
of the Baltic states was earlier explored by the BBC
in a film, which focused on decision-making at a
British advisory body responding to the crisis. In
the film, the stand-off escalated into a full-scale
nuclear conflict and the advisers contemplating an
option to destroy Russia’s biggest cities with
Trident missiles.
Propaganda alert:
Nato risks a nuclear war with Russia 'within
a year', senior general warns:
Nato risks a nuclear war with
Russia within a year if it does not increase its
defence capabilities in the Baltic states, one of
the alliance's most senior retired generals has
said. |
