The comparison is exactly that.
Using the "Protection of people in other countries" as a justification for war.
Hitler was a Germanic nationalist. It wasn't about German people, it was about Germanic people. It helped him to justify invading the Czechs, annexing Austria and the like.
You don't remember a naval base in Poland. Oh, well.. I suppose naval bases are people these days.
What would happen to NATO? Probably what would happen is this.
Putin would take the Ukraine.
The Ukraine was the 5th largest grain exporter in the world, behind the Russia, Australia, the US and Canada.
Instead of Russia being number one by 2 million tonnes, it'd put them ahead by 21 million tonnes. That's the amount 4th placed Canada produces. That would give Russia a lot more power. Food security is something essential in this changing world.
More than a quarter of the world’s wheat exports come from Russia and Ukraine.
www.aljazeera.com
"In 2019, Russia and Ukraine together exported more than a quarter (25.4 percent) of the world’s wheat, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (
OEC)."
Imagine, in 2011 the Arab Spring started.
Russia was forecast to export 62.8 million metric tons of cereals in the crop year 2023/2024.
www.statista.com
Russia sold 4.5 million tons of cereals. That was down from 21 million tons the year before. 1/4 of what they exported. Why? Because Russia didn't have enough cereals to sell because the crops weren't good that year. Same for the Ukraine.
The result. Three governments overthrown in the Arab world, Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen. Egypt was an ally of the US, and since then hasn't been.
With Russia controlling 25% of wheat exports, they can do a lot. Australia, the US and Canada have a larger portion of that. If global warming continues in the way it has, I'd expect Australia to suffer first.
Say for example, the US and Canada suffer and 1930s style drought that reduces the ability to produce enough for export. Then everyone's relying on Russia and the Ukraine and Australia. That's going to put Russia in a huge advantage.
Beyond that, you have the treat to other countries. Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are under threat. Georgia because Russia hates Georgia, it's already made Georgia lose territory. Azerbaijan has loads of oils.
Then you have the -stan countries that were part of the USSR.
Then you have Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, part of the USSR, now part of NATO and EU.
If Russia goes for that, then there's war.
So, either the US tries to stop Russia now, or it waits and waits and it gets worse as Russia gets more and more powerful.
Also China is getting more and more powerful. The threat to Japan and South Korea after Taiwan has been invaded. If the US loses those allies, then what?