The accords signed by Russia and the United States during the historic visit of US President Barak Obama to Moscow do not just have bilateral importance. They are equally important from the viewpoint of future international politics. At a time when tension on the proposed US missile shield was mounting, the two countries agreed to limit the number of nuclear warheads and the number of missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. This will bring relief to the international community.
Reducing Nuclear Arsenals
Russia may not be a superpower any longer, but its fighting capability is equal to that of the United States. The deal reached between the two countries to reduce their nuclear arsenals will obviously have a multidimensional effect on the world.
The START agreement, which is two-decade-old, will expire in December. This left the world wondering about the attitude of these two countries in this phase of instability and tension! Obama should be given credit for taking the necessary initiative to be in constant touch with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
An agreement on reducing the arsenals was finally reached. According to its terms, the number of nuclear warheads will be limited to between 1,500 and 1,675. The number of missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons will be reduced to between 500 and 1,100 within seven years. It is an established fact that these two countries are at the top in the matter of nuclear weapons of mass destruction. The exact number of weapons they possess is not known.
Importance of Accord
It is estimated that the United States has 2,200 and Russia has more than 2,700 nuclear weapons. With the implementation of this treaty, the nuclear arms stock of both countries will be more or less same. At a time when nuclear ambitions of some countries are creating problems for the international community, it is not difficult to grasp the importance of such an agreement. It has made both of them feel more secure, and the world too will feel much safer.
As a result of their mutual understanding, the United States has been allowed to use Russian airspace to transport its military supplies to the US troops fighting the Taliban and Al-Qa'ida in Afghanistan. Permission has been granted to 4,500 planes to take off in a year free of charges. With the use of Russian airspace, the United States will be in a stronger position strategically in the Afghanistan war. This can be regarded as the beginning of a joint fight against terrorism.
Thereby, joining hands with Russia, Obama has reduced his dependence on Pakistan considerably. He will receive its benefits in the entire Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy against Al-Qa'ida and the Taliban. Obama has, moreover, changed the rules in US-Russia relationship. Instead of a meeting at the bureaucratic level, he decided on a straight president-level discussion. This will have far-reaching results. The relationship between the two countries had deteriorated in the last eight nine years. Picking up the style of the Cold War period, George W. Bush declared nuclear disarmament treaties with Russia as meaningless when he assumed office. He made Poland and Hungary NATO members to push Russia into a corner. He openly supported separatist forces in Chechnya in an effort to disintegrate Russia. This was the state of affairs until last year when the two so-called pillars of former Soviet Union--Georgia and Ukraine--were offered NATO membership. This enraged Russia. As a result, Russia attacked Georgia. Two Russian-dominated areas declared their independence from Georgia.
Reducing Tension
Despite Obama's comparatively mild attitude, some points of tension between Russia and the United States still exist in full force. These include NATO membership of Georgia and Ukraine, apart from supply of Russian arms to Iran and Syria and separatist movement in Chechnya, and human rights violations there. One-time superpower, the Soviet Union has lost its identity. Russia today falls in line with three prominent developing countries, namely India, China, and Brazil. This, however, does not divest it of its importance of being world's number two in military strength. Russia possesses a huge nuclear arsenal. Very few countries can compete with it even in traditional weapons.
What is even more important is Russia's geographical position. It occupies a vast territory, which will never allow it to become weak. Nor can US activities in a unipolar world go unnoticed by it. The United States has been compelled to seek Russia's help because of Afghanistan
Cooperation and partnership among major countries are essential factors in this fight. It is expected that this partnership would be carried forward. However, it may be difficult for the two countries to get along with ease after years of distrust. . If Obama can convert this constraint into a relationship between equals, the world will be much more benefited in the long run.
No comments:
Post a Comment