Moscow News www.MN.

Ru July 26, 2007

10 Reasons Why Russia Can't Trust Uncle Sam By Robert Bridge The West says that it is perple ed by Russia!s "aggressi#e" beha#ior o$ late, a%d suggests that Moscow is desirous to regai% its past superpower status, a%d e#e% a little e&pire. But i$ cashi%g i% o% oil is i&perialis&, how do we e plai% the $ollowi%g '.(. &o#es) *0. (crappi%g the +%ti,Ballistic Missile Treaty , -% .ece&ber 200*, three &o%ths a$ter /0**, '.(. 1reside%t 2eorge W. Bush told Russia% 1reside%t 3ladi&ir 1uti% that the '.(. was pulli%g out o$ the */72 +BM Treaty, a 4old War,era docu&e%t that speci$ically $orbade the de#elop&e%t a%d deploy&e%t o$ a%ti,&issile de$e%se syste&s. The treaty e%sured that sig%atory %atio%s adhere to the &utually assured destructio% 5M+.6 co%cept , i$ you destroy us we will destroy you $or&ula. 7es, it was certai%ly M+., but it 8ept the peace $or 90 years. :or&er .e$e%se (ecretary .o%ald Ru&s$eld atte&pted to reassure Moscow that the decisio% was %othi%g perso%al. "-t ;the treaty< $ailed to recog%i=e that the (o#iet '%io% is go%e a%d that Russia is, o$ course, %ot our e%e&y." 1uti% called the &o#e "a &ista8e." /. "Missio% +cco&plished" , >% March 20, 2009, the '%ited (tates , without a &a%date $ro& the '%ited Natio%s, a%d agai%st the heated ob?ectio%s o$ :ra%ce, 2er&a%y a%d Russia , i%#aded -ra@ o% the prete t that the secular Baathist state o$ (adda& Aussei% had weapo%s o$ &ass destructio% a%d was a proud spo%sor o$ terroris&. Both accusatio%s were pro#e% wro%g. :or&er 'N (ecretary,2e%eral Bo$i +%%a% told the BB4 i% a% i%ter#iew that the attac8 was a #iolatio% o$ i%ter%atio%al law. ":ro& our poi%t o$ #iew a%d the 'N 4harter poi%t o$ #iew, it ;the war< was illegal." C. 1e%tago% (pe%di%g (pree , The '%ited (tates, which ?ust put the $i%ishi%g touches o% a DEC9 billio% dollar shoppi%g trip $or 200C, accou%ts $or about hal$ o$ global e pe%ditures 5or the %e t *F %atio%s6. Aowe#er, as Robert Aiggs o$ the -%depe%de%t -%stitute argues, "the trillio%,dollar de$e%se budget is already here." Aiggs calculated that '.(. &ilitary,related spe%di%g i% 2006 was actually D/9F./ billio% i$ we $igure i% Ao&ela%d (ecurity 5D6/.*bl%6, the .ept. o$ G%ergy, which o#ersees %uclear weapo%s 5D*6.6 bl%6 a%d the .ept. o$ 3etera%s +$$airs 5D6/.C bl%6, as well as other ?uicy por8 chops. -% May, the .e&ocrat,co%trolled Aouse a%d (e%ate appro#ed al&ost D/E

billio% $or the o%goi%g wars i% +$gha%ista% a%d -ra@ through (epte&ber 52o .e&sH6. Mea%while, "aggressi#e" Russia, with a FC perce%t i%crease i% &ilitary spe%di%g si%ce *//6, still spe%ds !?ust! DCE billio% a%%ually o% &ilitary e pe%ditures. 7. N+T> IIJ , +s .a% (i&pso%, a retired '.(. diplo&at argued i% the 1ittsburgh 1ost,2a=ette, "The '%ited (tates a%d other N+T> &e&bers ha#e ta8e% so&e actio%s alo%g the way to lull the Russia%s i%to ac@uiesce%ce as N+T> e pa%ded to i%clude the $or&er Warsaw 1act %atio%s... The argu&e%t was that these cou%tries wa%ted to ?oi% N+T> a%d that their &e&bership posed %o threat to Russia. That li%e pre#ailed as N+T> &e&bership grew to i%clude also Gsto%ia, Jat#ia a%d Jithua%ia, $or&er republics o$ the (o#iet '%io%. Now the Russia%s see the sa&e argu&e%t bei%g ad#a%ced $or 2eorgia a%d '8rai%e. That!s getti%g close to ho&e." 6. New Military Bloopers , +s the 1a8ista%i go#er%&e%t o$ 2e%. 1er#e= Musharra$ struggles to co%tai% the $allout o$ a% C,day battle agai%st &ilita%ts at the Jal Mas?id 5Red Mos@ue6, a '.(. o$$icial tur%ed up the heat by telli%g 4NN that i$ the '.(. "had actio%able targets, a%ywhere i% the world," i%cludi%g 1a8ista%, the% "we would pursue those targets." Mea%while, tal8 about a possible attac8 o% -ra%, a %atio% that ra%8ed o% +&erica!s a is o$ e#il hit parade, co%ti%ues. E. Thi%8,Ta%8 (aber Rattli%g , Beir +. Jieber a%d .aryl 2. 1ress write a% article i% the prestigious '.(. ?our%al :oreig% +$$airs e%titled "Nuclear 1ri&acy" 5March0+pril 20066, which argues, i% a %utshell, that "-t will probably soo% be possible $or the '%ited (tates to destroy the lo%g,ra%ge %uclear arse%als o$ Russia or 4hi%a with a $irst stri8e." -s this the sort o$ article that +&erica should be supporti%g i$ it wa%ts Russia to belie#e that ele&e%ts o$ the proposed '.(. &issile de$e%se syste& i% 1ola%d a%d... oopsH .o%!t wa%t to spoil the plotH +%yways, Moscow !respo%ds! with #ery accurate pe%&a%ship o%e year later as it test,$ires its %ew R(,2F ballistic &issile that it said could "o#erco&e a%y pote%tial &issile de$e%se syste&s de#eloped by $oreig% cou%tries." F. 4he%ey 4o&$ort , >%e &o%th a$ter the abo#e lo#e letter hit %ewssta%ds, 3ice 1reside%t .ic8 4he%ey, duri%g a trip to 3il%ius, Jithua%ia, assuaged Moscow!s $ears by reiterati%g, o%ce agai%) "Russia has %othi%g to $ear a%d e#erythi%g to gai%" by !de&ocratic acti#ity! o% her borders.

9. 2ates! 2ated 4o&&u%ity , -% early 2007, 1e%tago% chie$ Robert 2ates urged #iliga%ce whe% he war%ed, "We do%!t 8%ow what!s goi%g to de#elop i% places li8e Russia a%d 4hi%a, i% North Borea, i% -ra% a%d elsewhere." Was this a si&ple case o$ &ista8e% ide%tity by a $or&er White Aouse Russia% a%alystK Whate#er the case, it certai%ly helped to pro#o8e 1uti%!s heated Mu%ich speech i% :ebruary, where he ad&o%ished the world!s "o%e &aster, o%e so#ereig%." 2. G' 4ulpability , +s the War o% Terror co%ti%ues, Gurope is losi%g its (%ow White i%%oce%ce. +s the 2er&a% &aga=i%e .er (piegel reported, ">% July */, 2002, a 2ul$strea& busi%ess ?et too8 o$$ $ro& :ra%8$urt a& Mai% bou%d $or +&&a%, Jorda%. The $light recei#ed a% +:TM e e&pt ;pilot code $or !e tre&e situatio%!<, although it carried %either patie%ts %or politicia%s. -%stead, the ?et was carryi%g a 4-+ tea& that too8 a Maurita%ia% terroris& suspect... to 2ua%ta%a&o." .er (piegel reported that this "ca&ou$lagi%g o$ a% illegal 8id%appi%g as a rescue $light" was %ot a% isolated e#e%t) There were 9/0 such ta8eo$$s a%d la%di%gs i% 2er&a%y betwee% 2002 a%d 2006. +%d co%sideri%g Gaster% Guropea% hotels, it!s ?ust too scary to co%sider those secret terrorist priso%s that allegedly e ist i% 1ola%d a%d Ro&a%ia. *. .o%!t Worry, These a%ti,Missile Missiles wo%!t Aurt 7ou, Really , Washi%gto% is %ow i%credulous, shoc8ed, &orti$ied that Moscow has the %er#e to suggest that there could be less tha% good i%te%tio%s i%#ol#ed i% the co%structio% o$ a% a%ti,&issile de$e%se syste& i% 1ola%d a%d the 4=ech Republic, e#e% though there are %o bad,guy tech%ologies o% the hori=o% that such a syste& could i%tercept. 2o $igureH