Stephen Lendman

US-dominated NATO is currently holding its largest war games since Soviet Russia dissolved in 1991 - provocative exercises in Poland, America on a slippery slope toward direct confrontation with Russia, pushing the envelope toward possible nuclear war.

So-called Anaconda 16 continues for 10 days through mid-June, involving over 30,000 combat troops from 24 NATO states and partners - led, of course, by America with nearly half the force contingent, continuing to prove it’s the greatest threat to world peace and humanity’s survival.

Russia threatens no one, Putin the world’s preeminent peacemaker. US-led NATO exercises are occurring weeks before a July 8 - 9 Warsaw summit to approve increased numbers of combat troops deployed near Russia’s borders - in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Poland urges a permanent US-led NATO presence on its territory and regionally. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg falsely claimed added troop deployments are to counter a “more assertive Russia, intimidating its neighbors, and changing borders by force” - a gross perversion of truth.

Heading the war games, US Army Europe (USAREUR) said they’re “to train, exercise and integrate Polish national command and force structures into an allied, joint, multinational environment” - focusing on conventional warfare, defending against a nonexistent Russian invasion threat.

On Monday, Sergey Lavrov said “every serious and honest politician (knows) Russia will never invade any NATO member. (T)here are no threats in this part of the world whatsoever…justify(ing) (NATO’s Eastern European) buildup…” Russia intends responding accordingly.

Moscow’s NATO envoy Aleksandr Grushko said it’s “completely absurd” to suggest Russian forces might attack Poland - at the same time calling Anaconda 16 war games “shockingly blatant.”

According to Russian Defense Ministry spokesman General Igor Konashenkov, NATO justifies its provocative behavior by absurdly claiming it’s “cornered by ‘predators’ (like) Russia and other countries” - not subservient to US interests.

NATO’s reckless drive east near Russia’s borders risks the unthinkable - possible US-launched nuclear war by design or accident.

Cold War 2.0 could turn red hot - especially if Hillary Clinton succeeds Obama, a recklessly dangerous neocon/hawkish Russia hater.

Earlier she compared Putin to Hitler. East/West conflict would mean all bets are off.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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