#7
Date: Sat, 23 Mar 2002 12:09:14 -0800
Subject: Re: Crisis Looming Between U.S., Russia(#6152)
From: mikhail tsypkin <tsypkin@mbay.net>
I've never been a great fan of Stratfor analyses, but they have outdone themselves this time. Their prediction that "if Putin does not accept U.S. demands, he faces the distinct possibility of attacks on Russian weapons facilities and the potential elimination of his country's nuclear capability" is both exceedingly stupid and irresponsible.
Stupid -- because the United States will under no circumstances attack a nuclear power like Russia unless we are at war. Russia will retain its capability to do infinitely more damage to the US in a retaliatory strike than any number of Moslem fanatics even after all the currently proposed cuts in strategic offensive systems take place. Moreover,the last thing the US wants -- and Condoleeza Rice made it very clear in the early days of the Bush administration - is a weakened Russia that cannot control weapons of mass destruction on its territory. An attack on Russia will produce precisely this result.
Irresponsible -- because ravings of this type tend to be picked up by those in Russia and elsewhere who hate the United States, and broadcast such ravings to Russian (and other) publics as representing an influential American opinion, if not the US government's point of view, thus fanning fear and hatred of this country, and making international cooperation in fighting terrorism more difficult.
It would really help if Stratfor, before unleashing their analysts on the Web, make sure that they (supposedly experts in international security) know something about nuclear weapons, US government policy, and information operations.
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