NATO has expanded

[Farnan]

NATO is no longer an alliance of 26 nations, but now of 28. Croatia and Albania formally were welcomed. What do you think of this expansion?

[Grobar]

After this move Serbia should offer Russia all the military bases they want on its soil and immediately seek to join Russia-Belarus military alliance if they want us.

[Panzerbear]

NATO is no longer an alliance of 26 nations, but now of 28. Croatia and Albania formally were welcomed. What do you think of this expansion?

haha... a huge military might addition . although those Croat Axemen used to be pretty badass .

[Doctor]

haha... a huge military might addition . although those Croat Axemen used to be pretty badass .

seems kind of useless. What can they offer to NATO except for another possibility to be dragged into war, but I do not really care as long as the Croatians and Albania can sleep better at night.

[Farnan]

haha... a huge military might addition . although those Croat Axemen used to be pretty badass .

I'll tell you Albania will have 8,200 soldiers (though no tanks) thank you, and the Croatian Army has 12,500 soldiers and about 100 tanks. This increases NATO's ground forces by 20,000 men or about one American Division thank you. Not laughing now are you?

Oh yea, Bosnia and its 15,000 troops and Montenegro and its 6,500 will be joining soon. Live in fear Russia.

Oh wait only looking at Armies...

Total military wise Albania and Croatia bring in 34,500 soldiers or about 340 Icelands.

Scared aren't you everyone else?

[bthizle1]

After this move Serbia should offer Russia all the military bases they want on its soil and immediately seek to join Russia-Belarus military alliance if they want us.

I'll tell you Albania will have 8,200 soldiers (though no tanks) thank you, and the Croatian Army has 12,500 soldiers and about 100 tanks. This increases NATO's ground forces by 20,000 men or about one American Division thank you. Not laughing now are you?

Oh yea, Bosnia and its 15,000 troops and Montenegro and its 6,500 will be joining soon. Live in fear Russia.

Oh wait only looking at Armies...

Total military wise Albania and Croatia bring in 34,500 soldiers or about 340 Icelands.

Scared aren't you everyone else?

These are exactly the types of ideologies that scare the living out of me, and I'm not even from Russia.

[Farnan]

These are exactly the types of ideologies that scare the living out of me, and I'm not even from Russia.

I was being sarcastic

[Grobar]

I'll tell you Albania will have 8,200 soldiers (though no tanks) thank you, and the Croatian Army has 12,500 soldiers and about 100 tanks. This increases NATO's ground forces by 20,000 men or about one American Division thank you. Not laughing now are you?

Oh yea, Bosnia and its 15,000 troops and Montenegro and its 6,500 will be joining soon. Live in fear Russia.

Oh wait only looking at Armies...

Total military wise Albania and Croatia bring in 34,500 soldiers or about 340 Icelands.

Scared aren't you everyone else?

Albanians are useless fighters, real Montenegroes would never fight Russians, 'Bosnians' can be kept in check by Bosnian Serbs. That leaves only Croats.

[Barry Goldwater]

Albanians are useless fighters

Tell that to the ghosts of the Turks who fought Skanderbeg

real Montenegroes would never fight Russians

Why?

'Bosnians' can be kept in check by Bosnian Serbs

We don't need to re-open the can of worms that is the Balkans, thanks.

[Grof]

lol Albania in NATO wow, one of the biggest jokes of the century.
NATOS April fools joke is way late.

Why?

Because real Montenegrins wouldn't side with Albanians and Croats to fight against anyone. Only the politicians would or just Milo Djukanovic and his goons.

[Pallantides]

Why?

Because he probably believe in the notion of 'slavic unity'.

[Jaketh]

I'll tell you Albania will have 8,200 soldiers (though no tanks) thank you, and the Croatian Army has 12,500 soldiers and about 100 tanks. This increases NATO's ground forces by 20,000 men or about one American Division thank you. Not laughing now are you?

[Carpathian Wolf]

Oh no not Albania and its two tanks!

[Carpathian Wolf]

This is nothing new really. Croatia and Albania have been NATO's darlings since the 90s. So what? What is new?

[Romano-Dacis]

What the hell is this!? The collection of joke armies?

I guess it's at least nice to know our army is not the crappiest in NATO (it wasn't before this as well, btw; Romania's got the 2nd largest NATO army in Eastern Europe) but c'mon, what the hell was the point?

Furthermore I find the induction of these two countries to just add weight to the Serbian and Russian perspective that NATO has turned from a defensive to an offensive organization. In the case of Eastern European countries like Poland and Romania the induction into NATO was at least by the will of those two countries without foreign meddling, but the fact that the latest inductees (especially Croatia) had large help from NATO in maintaining their independence makes me really skeptical of NATO's ambitions. Their existence was catalyzed by NATO, as were their territorial expansions (in particular in Kosovo). The war NATO was involved in was not even defensive; Article 5 was never cited in the Yugoslav wars. Overall this is a severe blow to idealists like me who wanted to believe that NATO hadn't changed from its defensive nature.

[Carpathian Wolf]

What the hell is this!? The collection of joke armies?

I guess it's at least nice to know our army is not the crappiest in NATO (it wasn't before this as well, btw; Romania's got the 2nd largest NATO army in Eastern Europe) but c'mon, what the hell was the point?

Furthermore I find the induction of these two countries to just add weight to the Serbian and Russian perspective that NATO has turned from a defensive to an offensive organization. In the case of Eastern European countries like Poland and Romania the induction into NATO was at least by the will of those two countries without foreign meddling, but the fact that the latest inductees (especially Croatia) had large help from NATO in maintaining their independence makes me really skeptical of NATO's ambitions. Their existence was catalyzed by NATO, as were their territorial expansions (in particular in Kosovo). The war NATO was involved in was not even defensive; Article 5 was never cited in the Yugoslav wars. Overall this is a severe blow to idealists like me who wanted to believe that NATO hadn't changed from its defensive nature.

Yep that's a funny feeling isn't it?

NATO has long out lasted its purpose. Now it's just a bully.

[Visna]

Yep that's a funny feeling isn't it?

NATO has long out lasted its purpose. Now it's just a bully.

Nah, NATO has just begun to understand that it's security no longer begins and ends at the Fulda Gap.

[Carpathian Wolf]

Nah, NATO has just begun to understand that it's security no longer begins and ends at the Fulda Gap.

Of course the mandate of heaven has decreed that one most conquor the world in order to be total peace. I mean why hasn't anyone thought of that before? It'll totally work.

[cottontail]

Alright, the Albanian supergrenadiers are on our side now!!

Live in fear, enemies of Nato. You might be the next target of the Albanian Empire.

[Visna]

Of course the mandate of heaven has decreed that one most conquor the world in order to be total peace. I mean why hasn't anyone thought of that before? It'll totally work.

Conquering? I've come to expect quite a bit from you, but this one sure takes the grande prize. I was unaware that there were NATO tanks rolling through Zagreb and Tirana. This is disturbing news indeed!
Whether you agree with it's purpose or not, NATO (and the EU for that matter) have been the primary catalysts for peace, prosperity and stability in western Europe. If those sort of things can extend to the Balkans of all places, I'm quite sure that having "historical revisionists" calling them bullies on an internet discussion forum is a price NATO's political leadership is completely willing to live with.