#15
Kommersant-Vlast
No. 19
March 19, 2002
BEST REGARDS FROM A POTENTIAL ALLY
It takes half a minute to re-target nuclear missiles
Author: Ilya Bulavinov
from WPS Monitoring Agency, www.wps.ru/e_index.html]

THE LA TIMES ARTICLE ABOUT RUSSIA BEING AMONG THE PENTAGON'S NUCLEAR TARGETS HAS CAUSED A SCANDAL. HOWEVER, THIS ARTICLE ONLY REVEALED THE OPPOSITION BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES, WHICH NEVER DISAPPEARED WITH THE END OF THE COLD WAR.

The report in "The Los Angeles Times" that Russia is on the Pentagon's list of countries against which the US may use nuclear weapons has caused a scandal.

Of course, it is impossible to avoid a scandal after such a publication, since over the past few years - especially in the past few months - much has been said about the Russia-US relationship being an alliance. And now, all of a sudden, it turns out that Washington views Russia as virtually its main adversary. Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has said that if such plans do exist, this would be a concern and would destabilize the situation. Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov has visited the US, where he demanded some explanations.

Secretary of State Colin Powell stated on behalf of the US that Russia has not been included on any such lists, and is not viewed as an enemy. He also said that American nuclear weapons are not targeted at any particular country. Russian officials have expressed their moderate satisfaction with the explanation given.

However, these are only words. In reality, the incident of the Pentagon's report has revealed that despite the end of the Cold War, both Russia and the US view each other as potential adversaries.

The US is mentioned in Russia's military doctrine only twice. It is stated that Moscow stands by the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty of 1972 and is prepared for the "further cuts to its nuclear weapons on a bilateral basis together with the US, and also on a multi-lateral basis." Nevertheless, there are also a few passages unambiguously implying that US actions threaten Russia's national security.

"The state and prospects of development of the contemporary military-political situation are determined by the opposition of two trends. One of these trends is the creation of a unipolar world based on the dominance of one superpower, and military solutions to key problems in global politics. The second trend is formation of a multipolar world. The Russian Federation holds that social progress, stability, and international security may be gained only within the framework of a multipolar world..."

"The practice of carrying out military operations despite generally-acknowledged principles and standards of international law, and without the approval of the UN Security Council" is viewed as "one of the main destabilizing factors in the military-political situation" by the doctrine. According to the doctrine, the main foreign threats include "formation of a group of armed forces leading to destruction of the current balance of forces along the borders of the Russian Federation, its allies, and seas surrounding Russia; expansion of military blocs that endanger military security of the Russian Federation and its allies; deploying foreign troops without permission from the UN Security Council in countries which are allies of the Russian Federation."

It is not necessary to point out who is obstructing social progress and international security, forming groups of forces and violating the current balance, expanding military blocs, and sending troops into countries bordering with Russia without the UN's permission. If Russia took its own military doctrine more seriously, the US and Russia would not be exchanging official visits and summits now - they would be preparing for war.

Fortunately, in this rapidly changing world, doctrines have become merely declarative papers. Politicians and state officials rarely think of their correspondence to real life, and when they do think of it, they change the doctrines rather than policies.

However, regardless of the development of the situation, Russia and America are likely to view each other as potential adversaries for some years. Even if the relations between the two countries become unprecedentedly close, suspicions and mistrust will be forgotten only after several generations of politicians change. So far, the two countries' possession of nuclear weapons is a considerable factor in bilateral relations, and neither Moscow nor Washington intends to refuse to declare the possibility of using them against each other. It is noteworthy that the clock at the central command point of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) shows the time in Moscow, Vladimir, Chita, Omsk, Orenburg (there are headquarters of armies of the SMF in the four latter cities), and Washington.

As for announcements that Russian and American missiles are aimed at Antarctica, any specialist in missile technologies will tell you that it only takes about half a minute to re-target them.

(Translated by Kirill Frolov)

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