Austria’s & Russia’s Unforced NATO Errors

Medvedev’s NATO Nonsense: Austria’s Neutrality and the Art of Overreaction

via and all rights belong to Thomas Leckwold, Pegasus Research (excerpt)

Recently, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and a close ally of President Putin, has re-entered the political arena with another provocative statement aimed at threatening another country.

This follows his recent nuclear threat against the U.S., which resulted in the redeployment of two ballistic missile submarines closer to Russia.

This time, however, the threat is directed at Austria, a central European nation.

In July, Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger stated in an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt am Sonntag that the country’s long-held neutrality would not safeguard it, citing the context of the Ukraine War as justification.

Her statement suggested that Austria should consider joining NATO, similar to the decisions made by formerly neutral Sweden and Finland.

This proposal sparked significant controversy within both the Austrian parliament and the public, raising questions about the future of Austrian neutrality.

In response, Mr. Medvedev hyperbolically labeled the idea a “NATO Anschluss,” referencing the Nazi annexation of Austria in 1938.

Despite the extreme rhetoric and seemingly absurd threats, one must consider whether Mr. Medvedev is correct in his assessment.

Austria was occupied at the end of World War II by the Allied powers, and like Germany, it was divided into four occupation zones controlled by the U.S., the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France.

In 1955, the four occupying powers reached an agreement with Austria to lift the occupation and grant it full sovereignty through the signing of the Austrian State Treaty. …