Politico, prof debate NATO growth

In a room filled with aspiring politicians and other students, a heated debate took place Friday afternoon between Richard Perle and Alvin Rubinstein over the proposed expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Perle, assistant secretary of defense for international security policy under former President Ronald Reagan, faced off against Rubinstein, a Political Science professor and an expert on Russian politics. While Perle, who played a key role in defense strategy during the Cold War, argued for the expansion of NATO, Rubinstein took the opposing view. NATO consists of 16 member countries and seeks to promote stability in Europe through cooperation and collective peacekeeping efforts. It voted in July to admit three new countries -- Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, all satellites of the former Soviet Union. If the countries accept the offer, they will join the organization in 1999. Addressing more than 100 people at the Annenberg School for Communication, Perle based his argument on the implications of rejecting the membership of these countries. "Since these countries have asked to be included in NATO, a 'no' answer would raise questions on whether the Cold War is over or not," he said. "It will signal to the world that NATO still comprises the rigid western bloc that existed during the Cold War, unwilling to extend its cooperation to former U.S.S.R. affiliate countries." Ending his arguments, Perle said the absorption of new members will make NATO's efforts more objective and will brighten the future for the organization. Clearing up a common misconception, he said the inclusion of these countries will not necessarily force other countries to defend them. He added that the cost of including Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic will be "modest" -- much lower than opponents' estimates. Rubinstein, on the other hand, opposed NATO expansion and claimed that the United States will have to bear a major portion of the cost of including these new countries. He noted that other large NATO countries, such as France and Germany, have refused to pay. Pointing to other incidents when politicians have miscalculated the costs of foreign operations, Rubinstein said the United States has paid $7 billion for operations in Bosnia so far-- almost $6 billion more than President Clinton's initial estimate. "This is not a scholarship program," he said, referring to the economic burdens the three countries will have to bear to be integrated into NATO. Rubinstein added that Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic do not pose a threat to Europe's balance of power. And by focusing on NATO expansion, the U.S. will be ignoring the more important issue of tackling Russia's nuclear capability, he said.