WHY do nations tolerate being castigated by President Trump for not committing at least two per cent of GDP on defence? Why do we allow an unelected Nato committee to set targets for what the UK and the other 27 members of Nato should spend on defence? The United States, controlled as it is by the Deep State and the powerful military industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned the world about in his valedictory address in 1961 may decide to spend much more than that on its armed forces, but then again it has troops stationed in half the countries in the world and is currently bombing seven different countries. Perhaps that fact alone is why 23 of the other Nato member countries feel it unnecessary in these times of recession to waste two per cent of GDP combating a non-existent Russian threat. It is farcical that Greece, which is bankrupt, is one of the five meeting Nato's target.

Now Nato has decided to stick its nose further into Middle East affairs (“Nato joins anti-IS coalition”, The Herald, M1Y 26). Why? Who gave it the authority to interfere in matters of global international significance? Surely a defence-orientated security co-operative has no mandate to interfere in global politics.

The NATO website is interesting, particularly the “Operations Past and Present” section, as for an organisation in existence since the Second World War it actually hasn’t achieved much. It supposedly staved off the ravages of the Communist USSR but then again it is a matter of record that Churchill and General Patton to name but two had their eyes on invading Russia; no wonder the Russians are suspicious.

Those areas such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya where Nato has been involved are no ringing endorsement of its ability to return a country normality. With John Pienaar reporting from the Nato meeting in Brussels on BBC news that “confronting Russia has never been more important since the Second World War” I am becoming increasingly worried about Nato and its intentions. If the only tool you have is a hammer then you naturally want to use the hammer to fix everything no matter how delicate the problem is, and Nato can’t see beyond using its hammer.

David J Crawford,

Flat 3/3, 131 Shuna Street, Glasgow.