STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- ListBot Sponsor -------------------------- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb ---------------------------------------------------------------------- strana.ru July 19, 2001 It's either with or without NATO Vladimir Putin's bold challenge to Alliance and USA Viktor Sokolov This is by no means the first time that Vladimir Putin has mentioned two options: either Russia joins NATO or the Alliance dissolves itself. As far as I remember, this is the third time he has brought up this subject. It was at the dawn of his presidential career that he first publicly voiced the hypothetical possibility of Russia joining that military-political alliance. At that time, after NATO planes had pounded Yugoslavia, Putin's statement had the effect of a bombshell: "How could that be: Russia - joining NATO after all that? And the president himself speaks about this?" If some rank-and-file politician had dared to speak in that tone at that time, he most surely would have been put into the place where he belonged or simply scoffed at. But coming from a newly elected young president - well that was another thing! That first utterance of Putin's was initially taken as a joke. But then later, it was seen as a new, out of the ordinary view on the political situation that had shaped out. By his stunning thought about the possibility of Russia joining the Alliance, the Russian president intrigued everyone, but gradually they forgot about that intrigue. Putin's words on this very acute issue were heard the second time in Ljubljana and they had a retrospective undertone. To journalists and George W. Bush, the Russian president read out a secret postwar document that appeared right after NATO came into being. That document records an historical fact that the members of that newly created military-political organization in the West turned down the Soviet Union's request for membership in that organization. Judging by the way Bush reacted (to the secret document), one could assume that he was sort of not in the know about it. At that same time, while speaking about the process of NATO's eastward expansion, Putin said approximately the following: "Is NATO a military organization? Yes, it is. Is it approaching Russia's border? Yes, it is. Why? For what purpose?" Both in the first and second instances, the Russian president was actually directly, without any catches, testing out the sincerity of the West's attitude towards the new Russia. He was testing out the sincerity of those, who in the course of the decade after the democratic revolution in the USSR, thumped Russia's leaders on their backs and called them friends, but who, in reality, never believed that the democratic transformations in Russia could be irreversible. In fact, those people more often doubted that such transformations were taking place in general. And now, practically every day, Putin is compelled to observe this mistrust that emanates from the West not only towards his country, but towards himself personally, when he is regularly reminded that he came from the KGB (one might think that other states have no secret services). They continue to rebuke Putin for Chechnya but they themselves do not want to remember that similar situations exist in other countries. They continue to rebuke Putin for not being energetic enough in carrying out economic reforms. But these very same people say such things after they themselves throughout the whole decade had been "helping" Russian reformers to shape out a market economy. And these Russian reformers, who had followed all the orders they had received, brought their country to its present state, and plunked it into Putin's hands so that he would straighten things out and get rid of all the shortcomings. So the head of the Russian state put this hypothetical question to the West on two occasions, but so far there has been no plausible reply forthcoming. Not so much time has passed since he brought up the subject the second time. It appears that Putin has decided to speed up the events and intensify the situation on the eve of the G8 summit in Genoa. This implies that the Russian side wants to make use of its advantage precisely at this moment because Putin has what to say to his opponents. And Putin is tabling the question quite specifically: "It's either with or without NATO!" This is one more test of confidence and trust. This is one more opportunity for the USA and the West in general to shake Russia's extended hand. This is one more chance to reckon with the opinion of this large country in the matter of resolving international issues. Putin is simply offering the following: either Russia's opinion is taken into account within the framework of the system of security existing today - a system that the West is concentrating around the Alliance, and which Russia, if it becomes a participant in that system, will try to change it in all accessible and lawful ways; or he proposes jettisoning such a system that is unable to take into consideration the opinions of the members of the world community and to create a new system. Vladimir Putin is suggesting that no time be lost in discussing strategic stability and the system of international security. He is suggesting that this discussion be started now - already at the Genoa summit. If the West turns down the suggestion, this will be no means imply that Putin has lost. It will imply that the USA and its allies so far do not have sufficient arguments so as "to look good" in this dispute, and to get the upper hand. However, in the event that the West agrees to hold such a discussion then this will not mean that its trust in Russia is gradually growing. Putin does have what to say to the West, and in Genoa, we shall find out whether the West has anything to say to Putin in reply. ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
