NATO Entry for Baltic Countries

Re “Baltics’ NATO Dream May Be Too Elusive,” Dec. 7:

For hundreds of years the Baltic countries were at the boundary between the Western culture of Europe and the Russian counterpart. They have been independent countries and they have been occupied and they have shown armed rebellion against their tormentors. They have also made a decision and it is for the Western democracies and not the Eastern despotism.

Now they are earnestly knocking at the door of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for admit- tance. And what does the West tell them? Don’t be afraid of the Russians--they won’t attack you because now they are weak, so you don’t even need NATO! But why no admittance? Because NATO is “afraid” of the “weak” Russia? Where is the West’s resolve and courage?

There is now a historic opportunity for Western Europe and NATO to acquire loyal, enthusiastic and talented allies. It would be a shame if they were lost not because of the West’s lack of interest but due to its dithering.

ROLAND A. GIEDRAITIS

Los Angeles

* NATO was chartered in the late 1940s to forge a unified Western defense against territorial aggres- sion by the Soviet bloc. The Soviet bloc no longer exists, nor does the threat it once presented. The time is long past due for NATO to reassess not only its membership, but its mission as well. There is no reason that Russia itself, along with the Baltic nations, Ukraine, Moldova and (subject to internal reform) Belarus should not be admitted to NATO along with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and perhaps others. Although some might argue that admission of Russia is akin to inviting the fox into the henhouse, there are some very large chickens in NATO and modern Russia is a mighty puny fox.

This reconstituted NATO could perhaps be renamed something like the Hemispheric League, since its geographic center would have shifted well east of the Atlantic, and dedicated to the maintenance of order, the protection of human rights and the spread of democracy in the hemisphere. The abysmal performance of the United Nations (and the United States) over the past five years in responding to the endless crises in the former Yugoslavia illustrates very clearly why just such an organization is desperately needed. Get Russia (and others) on board, rewrite the charter to focus on regional disputes and the protection of democratic institutions, or scrap NATO entirely.

ALLEN E. KAHN

Playa del Rey