DAVID GIBBS, dgibbs at arizona.edu
Gibbs is professor of history at the University of Arizona, and author of the 2009 book First Do No Harm: Humanitarian Intervention and the Destruction of Yugoslavia, published by Vanderbilt University Press.

He said today: “Despite concerns about cost, President Trump has reaffirmed America’s longstanding commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, with an increased focus on using NATO to fight terrorism. In reality, NATO is a Cold War relic of no relevance to 21st century security needs. A close look at recent NATO actions suggests that — far from increasing Western security — it has created new threats that did not exist before. NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe has antagonized post-communist Russia and risks triggering a new cold war, while its 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya has destabilized that country and created a new source of international terrorism. Indeed the recent terrorist attack in Manchester had Libyan connections, a likely product of NATO’s ill-advised intervention. America’s security interests would be better served by winding down NATO, given that it no longer serves any useful purpose.”

His articles have appeared in the London Guardian, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, and Le Monde Diplomatique.

Background:

From Middle East Eye: “‘Sorted’ by MI5: How UK government sent British-Libyans to fight Gaddafi”

From AlterNet: “The Manchester Bombing is Blowback from the West’s Disastrous Interventions and Covert Proxy Wars“