And now I have investigated all of it. I will provide a link to the wiki article on the controversy. That's about it. There was never a written agreement or treaty. A German minister spoke about it. The United States repeated it - all in conversation. That's it. NATO comprises a few more members than than America and Germany.
That said, I took a look at who you are and where you are coming from. LMAO. I'm sorry, but 'GLOBAL CONSCIOUSNESS RISING?'
May I quote from wiki?
QUOTE: Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who participated in the 1990 negotiations, subsequently spoke out about the existence of a "guarantee of non-expansion of NATO to the east" inconsistently, confirming its existence in some interviews[8][9] and refuting in others.[10][11] Among academic researchers, opinions on the existence or absence of a non-extension agreement also differ.[12][13]
Bearing in mind that the last country to join NATO was in 2004, it is absurd to deduce that Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 because an 'eastern European' nation joined NATO - at their request.
You have a law degree. You know as well as I do that these things are confirmed in legal agreements and treaties. Perhaps in American law verbal commercial agreements, there is some leeway, but that is about it. At international level, these things are always in written agreements.
I do find it amusing that someone who 'aims to raise collective consciousness leading to non-violent citizen action to demand a democratic system of governance at the global level, particularly in the area of climate change, sustainable development and a global green deal' should be naive enough to believe that there is such a thing as collective consciousness.
Your list of heroes shows a leaning towards mysticism and benevolence. I have no argument with you on the issue of benevolence. However, there is a vast difference between conversations that took place, the culmination of those conversations in writing (never took place), and Russia claiming 18 years after an Eastern European nation joined NATO that this was a reason to invade Ukraine.
https://www.facebook.com/p/Global-Consciousness-Rising-100063597361606/
You clearly have a strong belief that the man in the street has the kind of intellect that is equivalent to that required for planetary decisions. I'm with Einstein on this one - 'Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.'
In addition, your idealism, while admirable, is hardly realistic. And in no way does it even remotely explain or justify Putin's reason for invading Ukraine. The jump is a leap not admissible in any school of law I know of.
