Following a spike in NATO-Russia "close calls," and previous rumors [6], The FT reports that NATO and The U.S. are to be openly identified as threats/adversaries in a new Russian military doctrine to be published next month. Furthermore, The FT reports that the Russian government believes it must tie its security interests to China since the Euro-Atlantic framework is too broken. It appears Gorbachev was right in his recent warnings that "the world is on the brink of a new Cold War. Some say it has already begun."
As The NY Times reports, the number of close calls between NATO and Russia is spiking...
The episodes were chronicled on Monday in a report by a British nonprofit research organization, the European Leadership Network, which recorded almost 40 episodes in the past eight months involving Russian forces in a “volatile standoff” with the West that “could prove catastrophic at worst.”
And as Sofia News Agency reports, Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has warned that tensions between Russia and the West over the Ukraine crisis have put the world "on the brink of a new Cold War."
Gorbachev spoke on November 8 at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall close to the Brandenburg Gate.
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"The world is on the brink of a new Cold War. Some say it has already begun," he declared, referring to the crisis in Ukraine.
He accused the West, and the United States in particular, of giving in to "triumphalism" after the collapse of the communist bloc and taking advantage of Russia’s weakening and a lack of a counterweight, using the opportunity to claim monopoly leadership and domination in the world.
83-year-old Gorbachev underscored the failure of global powers to cope with conflicts in Yugoslavia, the Middle East, and now Ukraine.
And now The FT reports possibly the largest and most worrisome escalation yet... (via Bloomberg)
NATO, U.S. to be openly identified as threats/adversaries in new Russian military doctrine to be published next month, FT reports, citing people familiar.
Current doctrine lists only the following as as “external military dangers”: NATO expansion, foreign troop deployments in neighbouring states, destabilization in certain countries and deployment of missile defence systems, FT says
Russian govt believes it must tie security interests to China because Euro-Atlantic framework is too broken, FT reports citing Russian officials and security analysts
Moscow seeks to build Shanghai Co-operation Organization, founded by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tadjikistan in 1996, as security alliance
Putin speech last month initially contained reference to “Helsinki II”, idea that Russia, U.S., Europe should try to work out new framework for security relations: FT
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And one would imagine this gives Putin more latitude in his positioning - if he needed it - internally. Do not forget that Russian generals have also pushed for adding pre-emptive nuclear strikes into the new military doctrine... having also previously predicted the US/NATO as enemies reported above. [6]
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h/t @PhenomTriune
