AH Challenge: Russia joins NATO

I think it's possible. There were actually proposals by Yeltsin for Russia to join NATO in the early 90s.

You're right. In hindsight it's pretty ironic that Yeltsin would even ponder the possibility. I remember the shambles that took place in Kosovo back in '99 when Russian 'peacekeepers' and NATO forces bumped heads at Pristina Airport
 

Old Airman

Banned
Russia is xenophobic to an intense degree. It fears the Asians coming from the east and the non-slavs coming from the west.
I would say that this statement is pretty solid reason for banhammer falling on the author. Not that I expect anyone to be sanctioned on ah.com for spreading russophobic cliches.
That's a very strange question. Everybody knows that that the initial NATO expansion was to prevent Russian control over Eastern European states that broke free from Warsaw Pact; due to diplomatic reasons of course this couldn't be presented openly. Do you honestly believe countries like Poland or Estonia joined NATO out of fear of being attacked Afgan terrorists or North Korean sneak attack ?
Well, you paint a VERY unflattering picture of NATO leadership, who traded goodwill of 150 mln of Russians (with all the land and resources coming with it) for an adoration of 700K Estonians sitting on cold Baltic shore, utterly devoid of any resources or competitive industry. Or, more precisely, you would have been painting a very unflattering picture if it was true. IOTL, NATO expansion was driven by American phobias and greed and not Estonian (Polish/Lithuanian) phobias (tail does not wag the dog).
Russia doesn't really have a North Atlantic port
As opposed to Northern Atlantic powerhouses of Turkey, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic and Slovakia? :)
Remember, Russia lost the First Chechen War. And the Second Chechen War just dragged on and on and on...
Let's, for comparison's sake, take a look at American performance under similar circumstances. Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon.
surely Estonia has at least as much gumption as the Chechnians?
No. Just no. Reasons are many, but Estonians aren't as predisposed to wage a guerilla.

I remember the shambles that took place in Kosovo back in '99 when Russian 'peacekeepers' and NATO forces bumped heads at Pristina Airport
That was in 1991, after almost a decade of pouring cold water on initial Russian enthusiasm about "Joining the Europe".
 
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