The Center for Defense Information believes that strong social, economic, political, and military components and a healthy environment contribute equally to the nation’s security. CDI opposes excessive expenditures for weapons and policies that increase the danger of war.
©1998 Center for Defense Information - Washington, D.C.
 I.S.S.N # 0195-6450
Volume XXVII, Issue 5
 1998

U.S.-Russia Relations: Avoiding a New Cold War

Defense Monitor In Brief
  • Relations between the U. S. and Russia have dangerously worsened since 1993.
  • The Russian economic crisis and military collapse have increased the risk of loss of control over nuclear weapons.
  • Deteriorating U.S.-Russian relations threaten existing arms control agreements and future nuclear reductions.
  • NATO expansion has created suspicion and distrust among Russians
  • The U.S.-Russian rivalry in the Caspian region has led Russia to fear loss of influence in the former Soviet republics and of important economic resources.
  • Many Russians believe the U.S. has sought to weaken their country in recent years.

 

Crisis Conditions

In recent months the Russian economy has collapsed.Living conditions for millions of Russians have deteriorated substantially. The Russian military, already vastly diminished in size and capability since the days of the Soviet Union, finds itself in the same economic and social crisis as the rest of the country. Crime, violence, and corruption flourish within the military. Great uncertainties and fears confront all Russians as they contemplate the future.

Russia’s GNP is not much higher than that of the Netherlands, a nation with one-tenth the population. The population is declining. The life expectancy of the average male has dropped to 58 years. Millions of people, both military and civilian, have not been paid for many months. Economic, political, and social instability threatens the very survival of the country.

The United States has been a major financial and political supporter of President Boris Yeltsin and his

largely failed policies. The Yeltsin era now appears to be ending and U.S.-Russian relations have soured from the early honeymoon period. The U.S. government is struggling to adjust to the collapse of its Russian policy.

Of particular concern is the fact that there are thousands of nuclear weapons in the hands of a demoralized and underpaid military. Retired general Aleksandr Lebed, the governor of the Krasnoyarsk region in Siberia and possibly the next Russian president, recently warned President Clinton during his visit to Moscow that Russia today faces a greater threat than in 1917 on the eve of the Russian Revolution. The retired general stated that "the situation is worse than in 1917. Now we have huge stockpiles of poorly guarded nuclear weapons." With the collapse of its conventional forces, Russia is relying more and more on its nuclear weapons.

The defeat in the war in Chechnya demonstrated how far the once-vaunted Russian military machine has fallen. In the current economic

 

Twenty-six Years of Service to the Nation

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