The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is often portrayed as a defender of democracy and freedom. However, its true purpose lies in safeguarding the interests of global finance capital and maintaining imperialist domination. While NATO’s founding was justified as a countermeasure to communist influence, this explanation obscures the organization’s deeper role as a military arm of global imperialism.
The Historical Role of NATO: Safeguarding Finance Capital
To analyze NATO scientifically, we must first examine its relationship to imperialism. Following World War II, the imperialist powers sought to consolidate their global domination through the international division of labor. Institutions such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were established to enforce this system. However, these economic mechanisms required a military apparatus to protect their interests.
On April 4, 1949, NATO was formed in Washington, D.C., as part of the Marshall Plan’s broader objectives. While cloaked in anti-communist rhetoric, NATO’s primary goal was to safeguard the interests of the financial oligarchy. Beyond containing the socialist bloc, NATO worked to overthrow socialist governments, impose puppet regimes, and ensure the subordination of other imperialist powers, particularly in Europe, to the United States.
NATO and the Subjugation of Eastern Europe
During the Cold War, NATO focused on dismantling the socialist-oriented states of Eastern Europe. Following the death of Stalin in 1953, socialist economies in the region were gradually integrated into global capitalism through multinational corporations (MNCs). The entry of Western corporations into Eastern Europe began as early as the 1970s, laying the groundwork for these nations’ eventual absorption into NATO.
For example:
• Romania: NATO membership was imposed without a public referendum. Instead, constitutional amendments allowed the ruling government to join the alliance without consulting the people.
• Serbia: In 1999, NATO bombed Serbia for 78 days, forcing its participation in NATO-led military exercises by 2023.
By the late 20th century, countries such as Hungary, Poland and the Baltic states were already participating in NATO operations, even before formally joining the alliance. This integration ensured that their economies, now dominated by Western MNCs, were safeguarded by NATO’s military apparatus.
NATO’s Imperialist Expansion in Africa
Africa’s vast natural resources have made the continent a key target for imperialist exploitation. As of 2012, the United Nations estimated that natural resources accounted for 77% of Africa’s exports and 42% of its total revenue. The continent holds:
- 98% of the world’s chromium,
- 90% of its cobalt,
- 70% of its coltan and tantalum,
- 64% of its manganese, and
- 50% of its gold.
These resources are exploited by foreign MNCs, backed by NATO’s military presence. The establishment of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) in 2007 and the proliferation of military bases by NATO members such as France and the United States demonstrate the militarization of resource extraction.
Libya: A Case Study
The brutal 2011 NATO-led intervention in Libya exemplifies the organization’s role as a tool of imperialism. Muammar Gaddafi’s government, which had nationalised oil resources and resisted Western control, posed a threat to global finance capital. Gaddafi’s plans to establish an African Central Bank and a gold-backed currency further antagonised imperialist powers.
NATO’s military assault on Libya resulted in Gaddafi’s assassination, the destruction of infrastructure, and the destabilization of the country. Libya, once a leader in pan-Africanism, remains in chaos, with its oil resources now exploited by Western MNCs under the guise of “stabilization efforts.”
The Sahel Region
Under the pretext of combating terrorism and illegal migration, NATO member states have established numerous military bases in Africa. France’s G-5 Sahel initiative (in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) and the U.S. drone base in Agadez, Niger, are strategically located to protect the interests of monopoly capital. These bases ensure access to Africa’s gold, uranium and other critical minerals while perpetuating instability to justify continued military presence.
NATO’s Internal Contradictions and Global Resistance
Despite its dominance, NATO is plagued by contradictions inherent in imperialism. The subordination of European allies to U.S. interests has created economic and political tensions. Meanwhile, the rise of the Global South along with the growing economic strength of China and Russia, challenges NATO’s hegemony.
Economic Challenges
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the expansion of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) offer alternatives to the imperialist development model. With 44% of global industrial output and growing financial institutions, BRICS represents a shift in the global balance of power.
Military Resistance
Countries such as Russia, China, Iran and the DPRK (North Korea) are emerging as counterweights to NATO militarily. In Africa, anti-imperialist governments in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have expelled NATO-linked forces, reclaiming sovereignty over their natural resources.
Kenya: A Hotbed for Imperialist Operations
Kenya has long been a hub for imperialist military operations. The British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) operates in Laikipia, where white settlers continue to control large tracts of land. Similarly, the U.S. maintains a presence through the Wajir Air Base, recently granted presidential recognition.[1] These bases serve as launchpads for military operations across the region, ensuring the continued exploitation of Kenya’s resources by Western MNCs.
Recently, Russian Deputy Chief of Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Alexei Rtischev alleged that the documents in the possession of Russian intelligence confirm that the U.S. Army Medical Research Unit-Kenya has been carrying out biological warfare research at the behest of big pharmaceutical companies of the U.S and its Western allies, under the guise of monitoring the spread of infectious diseases in Equatorial Africa. These documents allegedly reveal that the U.S. has been studying dangerous pathogens and the mechanism of their mutation, and they have developed and tested modern vaccines.
These operations, through the U.S. Department of Defense and its Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) have pumped resources and are working together with the Kenya Ministry of Health and the Kenya Defence Forces to carry out these dangerous operations for the Big Pharma companies, according to Ritschev.
These are the same operations where the U.S. has set up a Naval Military Medical Unit (NAMRU) in Ghana and the Michaud Expeditionary Medical Facility in Djibouti. In 2024, they established a joint medical research and military medical laboratory in Nigeria to continue the biological warfare research of the Big Pharma companies, according to Ritschev.
In conclusion, NATO’s role as the watchdog of imperialism and global finance capital cannot be overstated. From Eastern Europe to Africa, its military apparatus enforces the interests of multinational corporations while perpetuating instability to maintain control. The rise of anti-imperialist resistance, particularly in the Global South, signals a growing challenge to NATO’s dominance.
As Lenin reminds us, “Politics is the concentrated form of economics.” The struggle against NATO is inseparable from the broader fight against imperialism and the exploitation of humanity by finance capital. Revolutionary forces must continue to expose NATO’s true nature and build alliances that challenge its hegemony in the pursuit of a socialist world.
The Wajir Air Base was originally built by an Israeli company. ↑
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About the Author
Mwaivu Kaluka is the National Chairperson of the Communist Party Marxist – Kenya ( CPM-K).
CPM-K is a working class Party that fights against Capitalism and Imperialism and the establishment of a socialist Country.
Mwaivu can be reached at mwaivuwakaluka@gmail.com.
