Top U.S. Official Warns West of Russian Policy
Created: 12.01.2007 11:08 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 15:50 MSK
MosNews
U.S. National Intelligence Director John Negroponte warned Thursday that Russia is becoming a regional energy superpower and increasingly is pursuing foreign policy goals that threaten U.S. and Western interests, the Associated press reports.
High energy prices have allowed Russia to increase its assertiveness in foreign affairs, said Negroponte in his annual global review.
“A flush economy and perceived policy successes at home and abroad have bolstered Russian confidence, enabled increased defense spending and emboldened the Kremlin to pursue foreign policy goals that are not always consistent with those of Western institutions,” Negroponte told the Senate Intelligence Committee in written testimony.
Rivalry with Russia, he said, will complicate cooperation on important foreign policy goals including counterterrorism, nonproliferation and democracy promotion in the Middle East.
As Russia approaches a March 2008 presidential election, the government has been undermining its credibility as a partner with the West by stifling political opposition, Negroponte said.
Alexander Litvinenko, a Kremlin critic who lived in exile in London, died in a London hospital on November 23 after receiving a lethal dose of polonium-210. In a deathbed statement, he accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering his murder, which the Kremlin has denied.
Russia’s foreign policy tactics also are producing friction with the West.
Negroponte said Russia is trying to use economic power stemming from its exports of the country’s immense energy resources to influence the internal politics of neighbors, including countries such as Georgia and Ukraine, former Soviet republics that have recently moved toward greater democracy.
“Russia is attempting to exploit the leverage that high energy prices has afforded it, increasingly using strong-arm tactics against neighboring countries,” he said.
He warned more broadly that access to energy is emerging as a source of greater vulnerability for the West as producers increase their economic power and consumers compete more aggressively for resources.
“We have entered a new era in which security has become an increasing priority not only for the U.S. and the West, but also rapidly developing economies like China and India that are becoming major energy consumers,” he said.
In separate prepared testimony, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Michael Maples, said “Russian entities” sell technologies useful for weapons of mass destruction and missile programs abroad.
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2007/01/...anpolicy.shtml
Created: 12.01.2007 11:08 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 15:50 MSK
MosNews
U.S. National Intelligence Director John Negroponte warned Thursday that Russia is becoming a regional energy superpower and increasingly is pursuing foreign policy goals that threaten U.S. and Western interests, the Associated press reports.
High energy prices have allowed Russia to increase its assertiveness in foreign affairs, said Negroponte in his annual global review.
“A flush economy and perceived policy successes at home and abroad have bolstered Russian confidence, enabled increased defense spending and emboldened the Kremlin to pursue foreign policy goals that are not always consistent with those of Western institutions,” Negroponte told the Senate Intelligence Committee in written testimony.
Rivalry with Russia, he said, will complicate cooperation on important foreign policy goals including counterterrorism, nonproliferation and democracy promotion in the Middle East.
As Russia approaches a March 2008 presidential election, the government has been undermining its credibility as a partner with the West by stifling political opposition, Negroponte said.
Alexander Litvinenko, a Kremlin critic who lived in exile in London, died in a London hospital on November 23 after receiving a lethal dose of polonium-210. In a deathbed statement, he accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering his murder, which the Kremlin has denied.
Russia’s foreign policy tactics also are producing friction with the West.
Negroponte said Russia is trying to use economic power stemming from its exports of the country’s immense energy resources to influence the internal politics of neighbors, including countries such as Georgia and Ukraine, former Soviet republics that have recently moved toward greater democracy.
“Russia is attempting to exploit the leverage that high energy prices has afforded it, increasingly using strong-arm tactics against neighboring countries,” he said.
He warned more broadly that access to energy is emerging as a source of greater vulnerability for the West as producers increase their economic power and consumers compete more aggressively for resources.
“We have entered a new era in which security has become an increasing priority not only for the U.S. and the West, but also rapidly developing economies like China and India that are becoming major energy consumers,” he said.
In separate prepared testimony, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Michael Maples, said “Russian entities” sell technologies useful for weapons of mass destruction and missile programs abroad.
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2007/01/...anpolicy.shtml
Russia has had problems with most countries through which the oil is routed, including its ally, Belarus!
With the advent of globalisation and rapid industrialisation in countries that were lagging behind, especially in the third world, the aspirations of the people have gone up with the economic recovery. This will spur these nations to grow further and hence requirement of oil and gas will increase many fold. Thus, oil and gas will become an important input in the geostrategic paradigm.
Russia has adequate oil and gas and so it will not be averse to using it as a political weapon. As it is, it has once again regained its influence on the Central Asian Republics which was waning. Likewise it has made a somewhat of 'comeback' in Georgia and Ukraine and has nudged uncomfortably the growing US influence in the erstwhile USSR territories.
The CAR and Middle East will play an important role in Russia contesting the US. Already, there are reports that Russia is in Syria with a naval base!
Unless the US reconsiders her options in the Middle East and establishes herself in a firm way, things can go awry for the US interests.
The Iraqi govt's cozying up with Syria (Talibani is visiting Syria) and it upsetting US plans by working in a counterproductive manner does not auger well.
Therefore, what should be the US policy to contain Russia?
In this connection this link is also pertinent:
http://intelligence.senate.gov/heari...hearingId=2467
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