Is a new Cold War in the offing? With the rise of tension between Western countries and Russia, it seems to be an increasing possibility.
Nato leaders, at a summit yesterday, cleared the way for the deployment next year of four battalions to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland which feel threatened by Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
The multinational battalions, which are expected to number up to 1,000 troops each, will be deployed on a rotational basis. Canada will head the battalion in Latvia, while Germany will take the lead in Lithuania, Britain in Estonia and the United States in Poland.
Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg described the deployment as part of measures meant “to counter the threat posed by Russia”, saying it demonstrated “the strength of the transatlantic bond and they make clear that an attack on one ally would be considered an attack on the whole alliance”.
Strong words indeed.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that Russia’s actions in Ukraine had eroded mutual trust, adding that the Nato summit came “in a phase in which the security situation has significantly changed in Europe”.
The Ukraine crisis proved a rude wake-up for Nato and the summit was meant to convey a clear message to Moscow that it would not be caught napping again.
Russia bitterly opposes Nato’s expansion into its Soviet-era satellites, which it sees as a threat to its own security. However, Moscow reserves its direst warnings for the Ballistic Missile Defence system the United States is building. Washington says the shield is designed to counter missile threats from Iran or the Middle East but Russia says that once the system becomes fully operational in 2018, it will undercut its strategic nuclear deterrent.
US President Barack Obama has urged Nato leaders to stand firm against a resurgent Russia over its seizure of Crimea from Ukraine, saying Britain’s vote to leave the European Union should not weaken the Western defence alliance.
Peter Apps, a Reuters global affairs columnist, recently warned that “no one doubts that should a third major war overwhelm the continent, it would almost certainly be worse than any of those that preceded it” as Europe remains home to more than half the world’s nuclear weapons.
The Kremlin says Nato is shortsighted and has a misguided focus on threats from Russia. “It is absurd to speak about a threat from Russia when in the centre of Europe dozens of people are killed and in the Middle East hundreds of people every day,” the Kremlin’s spokesman has said. “If they need to... stir up anti-Russian hysteria and Russophobia, then based on that emotion-evoking backdrop deploy air and ground forces close to Russia’s borders, it is unlikely that we can find some reason for collaboration,” the spokesman warns.
Ominous words.
viewpoint
