Russian Security
July 6, 2009
US President Obama has said the US needs to reset its relationship with Russia, which faces a series of challenges, including a public suspicious of US motives, a Kremlin with two men at the helm and hard feelings on a variety of issues.
Russia is also talking about improving ties with its former adversary, and has been doing some resetting of its own, primarily regarding its security doctrine. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree in May on the country's National Security Strategy, which is meant to be a general guide for Russian domestic and foreign policy until 2020.
That policy still mentions threats dating from the Cold War era. But for the first time in recent Russian history, the country's national security is not perceived as being threatened primarily by dangers from outside or being dependent on its own defensive capabilities.
"The most important tasks and, at the same time, the most serious dangers are to be found inside the country," said Dmitry Suslov, the deputy research director of the Moscow-based Council for Foreign and Defense Policy. "That means there's a need for modernization, a more effective system of state intervention, fighting corruption, and so on."
The transition from perceived external threats to a new look at home-grown dangers is a natural development, especially as the new US administration has worked to diffuse some of the tensions that had grown over recent years between the old Cold War sparring partners.
"It's a normal development, because (Russia's) relations with the west have improved over the last weeks or months since Obama took office," said Alexander Rahr, Russia analyst at the German Council on Foreign Relations.
The new security document largely puts the focus on economic and social categories, for example, economic growth, health care, science, education, culture and quality of life. It lays out the ambitious goal, especially given the state of today's Russia, of becoming a world leader in these areas. One particular threat for national security is unemployment, the widening gap between rich and poor, population decreases and rising domestic prices.
Energy security
The issue of Russia's energy future and security is also emphasized in the document. Moscow predicts that the international quest for access to energy sources will become more intense -- in the Barents Sea, around the Antarctic, the Caspian region and in Central Asia.
Since Russia considers military intervention possibly being used in the struggle for energy, it also sees an additional threat to Russia's borders.
The Kremlin openly describes its own enormous energy reserves as a way to bring the country closer to its ultimate goal - regaining its status as a superpower.
Old foes
Despite the change in focus, some security concerns have stayed the same, especially regarding foreign policy. The Asia-Pacific region is almost a blank spot on the map for Russia, despite its border with an ever-more powerful China.
The foreign threat scenarios often concern the "usual suspects," the US and NATO, although they are not mentioned by name. This might well be a topic of conversation between Medvedev and Obama.
The security document complains of the absence of a robust international security architecture and the quest for military superiority. Besides the modernization of nuclear arsenals, the document mentions the development of high-tech weapons, the militarization of outer space, strategic armaments in non-nuclear areas, the creation of a missile defense system partly stationed in eastern Europe.
The list is clearly referring to the US, which Russia still sees as the principle threat to its security.
"Regarding foreign policy everything is being repeated which was said in the past," said Rahr. "Russia is against the eastern expansion of NATO, and therefore certain western countries - unnamed - which would challenge Russia on its western border, are being heavily criticized."
NATO fears
While the document says NATO expansion to Russia's borders is not acceptable, almost in the same breath Moscow names NATO as a strategic partner necessary for the maintenance of international security.
"The (NATO) block is a partner for Russia since it is working on solving problems that are essential for Russia's security, such as Afghanistan," said analyst Suslov. "Furthermore, NATO is a central pillar of Euro-Atlantic security apparatus, whether Russia likes it or not. If Russia wants to participate in such a system, it will have to work on its relations with NATO."
The relationship with the US is similarly paradoxical. Although America is seen as a threat, Russia is also seeking a strategic partnership of equals and wants to cooperate on the fight against terrorism and non-proliferation.
"Dmitry Medvedev has to position himself on a foreign policy level," said Rahr. "He wants to show that he has the situation under control, and that he has the capability to modernize the country domestically without disturbances from outside."
Author: Nikita Jolkver (jam)
Editor: Michael Knigge