United States Senate Approves NATO Expansion

Regina Naruð©³, a practicing attorney in Illinois, is the President of the Lithuanian American Community, Inc.

Voting for that majority were 45 Republicans and 35 Democrats; thus, providing more voters than were needed for the two-thirds majority to ratify the expansion. Only ten Democrats and nine Republicans voted in opposition. The Republicans who voted against NATO expansion were:

• John Ashcroft, Missouri,
• Larry E. Craig, Idaho,
• Tim Hutchinson, Arkansas,
• James M. Inhofe, Oklahoma,
• James M. Jeffords, Vermont,
• Dirk Kempthorne, Idaho,
• Robert C. Smith, New Hampshire,
• Arlen Spector, Pennsylvania,
• John Warner, Virginia.

The Democrats who opposed the expansion with their votes were:

• Richard Bryan, Nebraska,
• Dale Bumpers, Arkansas,
• Kent Conrad, North Dakota,
• Byron L. Dorgan, North Dakota,
• Tom Harkin, Iowa,
• Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont,
• Daniel P. Moynihan, New York,
• Harry Reid, Nevada,
• Paul Wellstone, Minnesota,
• Ron Wyden, Oregon.

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It was our own, Senator Richard Durbin (D. - IL), who not only voted for NATO expansion but spoke so eloquently in favor, who said during the debate, that the opponents seem to be actually arguing against the existence of NATO, not just expansion.

Senator Joseph J. Biden, Jr. (Del.), ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee and one of the key players in addition to Majority Leader Trent Lott (R.-Miss.) and Slade Gorton (R.-WA), remarked that "in a larger sense, weÒ¬l be righting a historical injustice forced upon the Poles, Czechs, and Hungarians by Joseph Stalin."

President Clinton hailed the vote as "a major milestone on the road to an undivided, democratic, and peaceful Europe. The addition of these three democracies to our alliances will strengthen NATO, expand the zone of stability in Europe, and reduce the chances American men and women will ever again be called into Europe's fields of battle."

Barbara A. Mikulski (D.-MD), speaking passionately of her Polish heritage, expressed her beliefs that the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe will share the burden of European security.

The opposition argued that the costs would be huge to the American taxpayer, that the relations with Russia would be negatively affected, and that the expansion could lead to dangerous new operations. There were a number of amendments brought to the floor of the Senate to delay and to limit further expansions, all of which were soundly defeated.

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This NATO expansion is the Congress's major achievement this year and, also, the largest increase in American commitment overseas since the end of World War II and the Cold War.

Nevertheless, all 16 existing members of NATO must approve of such an expansion before the three new members are admitted. It is expected that all countries will ratify the expansion by the end of 1998, and that the three countries will formally become members in April of 1999, during NATO's 50th anniversary. The 1999 NATO Summit will be hosted by the United States in Washington, D.C. on April 24th and 25th, 1999.

President Clinton promised that "the first new members should not and will not be the last." Nine more countries are already pushing for the invitation. Lithuania, Slovenia, Latvia, Estonia, and Romania are serious contenders. Stopping the expansion now would seriously endanger the security and stability of much of Central and Eastern Europe, and encourage Russia to pursue their sphere of influence over them.

Professor Landsbergis, the President of Seimas (Parliament) of the Lithuanian Republic, declared that Lithuania and Latvia are the key to Europe's security. Lithuania is making steady progress in meeting the military standards of NATO and it is hoped, it will be invited next. Ron Asmus, of the U.S. State Department, supported Prof. Landsbergis's position when he confirmed that history has shown us that events in the three Baltic nations have effects well beyond their borders.

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In his remarks to the Senate during the debate, Senator Durbin said that NATO expansions to other countries, such as Lithuania, should not be a source of concern to us but one of great hope and optimism. Durbin continued with a point well made -- if you look at the map of the world and see the huge expanse of Russia, and then see the three small nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, it is almost laughable that the Russians could look to them as any threat to their future or security.

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