NATO: The U.S. Push Into Russia's Traditional Turf

NATO members' foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels on Dec. 2-3. The hot topic is the United States' proposal to extend Membership Action Plans to the former Soviet states of Ukraine and Georgia. Many of NATO's European members are not likely to approve such a plan, especially considering the amount of reform needed for either state to become a productive NATO member. However, the United States and other NATO members want to make a major push into Russia's periphery before Moscow moves to solidify its grasp on Ukraine and Georgia.