The Myth of US Promise to Russia: Refuting the Contention that NATO Would Not Expand ‘One Inch’
The assertion that the United States promised Russia that NATO would not expand “one inch” has been a subject of much debate and controversy. The claim, which originated from a supposed informal assurance given by former Secretary of State James Baker to Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze in 1990, has been used by some as evidence of American duplicity in the post-Cold War era. However, a closer examination of the historical record reveals that the assertion is not only inaccurate but also lacks any official status.
First and foremost, it is essential to note that James Baker’s supposed remark was never an official policy of the United States government. It was a casual comment made in the context of the discussions around the reunification of Germany, and it referred only to the possibility of NATO expanding into East Germany after the reunification. Baker himself has stated that he never made any promises regarding the broader issue of NATO expansion beyond East Germany.
No less an authority than Mikhail Gorbachev has spoken out on the matter in such a manner as to deflate the contention of Putin and his echo chamber. In an interview recounted in a Brookings Institute write-up, also cited by Politifact, he contended:
“The topic of ‘NATO expansion’ was not discussed at all… Another issue we brought up was discussed: making sure that NATO’s military structures would not advance and that additional armed forces would not be deployed on the territory of the then-GDR [emphasis added] after German reunification. Baker’s statement was made in that context… Everything that could have been and needed to be done to solidify that political obligation was done. And fulfilled...”
“The agreement on a final settlement with Germany said that no new military structures would be created in the eastern part of the country… It has been obeyed all these years.” [Emphasis added.]
The Brookings author continues, “ he made clear there was no promise regarding broader enlargement.”
Furthermore, the claim that the addition of new members to NATO was done with evil intentions is not supported by the evidence that it was created as a defensive alliance. In a 1997 response to queries from a group of Arms Control policy wonks, the administration replied, regarding NATO and the intention motivating addition of new members, referencing “its core mission: countering aggression against its member states.”
President Clinton presided over much of the “NATO enlargement” which certain Russophilic critics obsess over. His intentions were transparent and friendly to Russia. Speaking in Warsaw in 1997, he said “NATO is doing its part, taking in new members, taking on new missions, working with new partners. Like Poland, we have reached out to Ukraine to help forge stability in Europe. And we are working with a new Russia as our partner in building a Europe in which every nation is free and every free nation joins in securing peace and stability for all.”
But as reported in the fall of 2022, Clinton said, “I offered Russia not only a special partnership with NATO, but the prospect of eventual membership in NATO, arguing that our biggest security problems in the future were going to come from non-state actors, or from authoritarian states selling chemical, biological and nuclear capacity to terrorist groups. And that we should do this together.”
Moreover, the claim that the United States promised Russia that NATO would not expand one inch is also inconsistent with the official statements made by NATO itself. In 1999, the Alliance released a statement that affirmed its commitment to “the principle that countries which aspire to NATO membership should be free to pursue their aspirations without external interference.” This position was reiterated in subsequent NATO summits and communiques, including the 2008 Bucharest Summit, where the Alliance stated that “NATO welcomes the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of countries that seek to join the Alliance.”
The assertion that the United States promised Russia that NATO would not expand one inch is an inaccurate and misleading claim that lacks any official status. James Baker’s supposed remark was a casual comment made in a specific context and did not bind the United States to any policy. Other high-ranking American officials have consistently refuted the claim, and NATO itself has affirmed its commitment to the principle of free choice for countries seeking membership. It is essential to base discussions and debates on facts and official policies, rather than on unfounded assertions and speculations.
Additional Sources:
Clinton, H. (2014). Hard Choices. Simon & Schuster.
NATO (1999). Alliance Expansion: Statement by the North Atlantic Council. Retrieved from https://www.nato.int/docu/pr/1999/p99-065e.htm
NATO (2008). Bucharest Summit Declaration. Retrieved from https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_8443.htm
Sarotte, M. E. Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post–Cold War Stalemate. Yale University Press, 2021.
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