The Pentagon is said to be against reducing the overall U.S. nuclear arsenal any lower than whatever is agreed to in the ongoing negotiations with the Russians for a follow-on to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
// Dec. 14, 2009 - 09:40 GMT
Gallup's survey, conducted in April through June, shows Russians' confidence in their nation's economy faltered as it entered recession this year accompanied by unemployment and inflation. Reflecting on their own communities and themselves, Russians' optimism about the local job market, their personal standard of living, and the local economy — three of four items that make up the index – withered to less than half of last year's levels.
// Dec. 14, 2009 - 09:38 GMT
American officials have been holding secret talks with Russia and the United Nations in an attempt to strengthen internet security and rein in the growing threat of cyberwarfare. The effort, first reported in the New York Times, is a virtual version of the nuclear arms talks being held between the two nations in Geneva â“ but rather than focusing on bombs and missiles, the discussions are aimed at curbing the increasing level of attacks taking place online. </p>
// Dec. 14, 2009 - 09:34 GMT
The latest doctrine differs from its previous versions. It mentions those external and internal threats that had not been taken into consideration before, including a war for energy resources, the proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction, international terrorism, territorial claims, ethnic conflicts and separatism. The new doctrine also pays attention to the use of high-precision weapons, unmanned aircraft, autonomous underwater vehicles, biocybernetic system, e.t.c. What is especially important about Russia`s new military doctrine is that it allows to use nuclear weapons to repel aggression if an enemy applies conventional weapons in a large-scale war. If the national security happens to face a serious threat, Russia does not rule out a possibility of a nuclear attack, including a preemptive one, against an aggressor in either large-scale or regional war. Actually, we see that Russia has lowered a threshold of nuclear deterrence.
// Dec. 14, 2009 - 09:31 GMT
The Russia/Ukraine crisis prompted another round of initiatives in the European Union, designed to bolster the regionâ™s energy security. The moves echo similar plans around the world, from the US support for ethanol and other alternatives to oil, to attempts by China and India to tie up oil and gas reserves. </p>
// Dec. 03, 2009 - 08:56 GMT
EU and US Russia policies have different main drivers. In his chapter on this topic, Andrew Kuchins writes that in their conduct of policy towards Russia the United States are principally driven by three goals: (i) the heightened urgency of resolving the Iranian nuclear question; (ii) the need for additional transport routes into Afghanistan to support a larger US military presence; and (iii) a return to a more multilateral approach to ensuring nuclear security and strengthening the nonproliferation regime.
// Dec. 03, 2009 - 08:38 GMT
A draft treaty on European security prepared by Russia allows signatory states to provide military assistance to each other.
// Nov. 30, 2009 - 08:31 GMT
The rapid changes in the world economy and politics yet another time raise an âśevergreenâť Russian issue of its relations with larger Europe or with the Euro-Atlantic region. (By Sergei Karaganov, Chairman of the Presidium of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy) </p>
// Nov. 30, 2009 - 08:17 GMT
MOSCOW. (Dmitry Kosyrev, RIA Novosti political commentator) â“ The Valdai Discussion Club was first convened six years ago, which is not long enough to adequately gauge its effectiveness. But its sixth conference, which is to begin on September 7 in Yakutsk in eastern Siberia, is a sufficient reason for analyzing its history, as well as the traditions and precedents it has set </p>
// Sep. 04, 2009 - 15:56 GMT
RIA Novosti interview with Cliff Kupchan, Director, Europe and Eurasia, at the Eurasia Group
// Sep. 04, 2009 - 06:38 GMT