Pentagon Chief Robert Gates, in the foreground, believes that European countries should arm themselves because their excessive peacefulness is regarded as a weak point.
Photo: AP
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NATO Coming to a Point
// The U.S. suggesting that the alliance defend itself against Russia
U.S. Secretary of Defense called on NATO states to build up their arms potential, claiming that the present level of the alliance’s demilitarization has gone “as real or perceived weakness”. According to Mr Gates, this is the lesson the West must heed after the war in Georgia. Also, American media report that Pentagon Chief insists on establishing rapid response forces within NATO to promptly defend the alliance’s member-states from outer invasions.
Late last week NATO Defense Ministers gathered in London to discuss the outcome of the recent Russia-Georgian war and make conclusions over changing the alliance’s development strategy. The meeting was held against a background of ripostes exchange between Russia and the United States. First U.S. State Secretary Condoleezza Rice accused Moscow of plotting the war with Georgia baiting Tbilisi. In response, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated that it was the North Atlantic Alliance that fomented the war with its actions. Finally, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates had to summarize that discussion in absentia. He did it delivering a speech at the Dukedom of Marlborough, in the castle where Sir Winston Churchill was born. Mr Gates’ address was virtually a detailed plan of the West’s further line on Russia.
Pentagon Chief began his speech saying that in 1938, as the Munich Agreement was signed, Sir Winston Churchill was among the few convinced opponents to negotiations with Hitler. Now, according to Mr Gates, the West should heed the lesson of 1938 when working out its policy toward Russia. However, he added, you should not forget the lesson of 1914, where “a combination of miscalculation, hubris, bellicosity, fear of looking weak, and a runaway nationalism led to a cataclysmic and unnecessary conflict.” Using examples from history, the U.S. Secretary of Defense described how the West should behave to avoid being trapped in an undesirable war with Russia without capitulating to it at the same time.
Mr Gates opines that “Russia’s current actions do not represent the existential and global threat that the Soviet Union represented”. “In reality, Russia’s policies are borne of a grievance-based desire to dominate its “near abroad,” not an ideology-based effort to dominate the globe,” Mr Gates continued. He reminded that both State Secretary Condoleezza Rice and he are experts on Russia as they defended their theses on Kremlinology. Citing Ms Rice, he stressed that “a 19th century Russia and a 21st century Russia cannot operate in the world side by side”.
In his view, “Russia’s conventional military remains a shadow of its Soviet predecessor in size and capability, and the images of the Russian armor and artillery overwhelming Georgia’s tiny military does not reverse that basic reality”. “I believe the Georgia incursion will, over time, be recognized as a Pyrrhic victory at best and a costly strategic overreach. Europe and the United States will help Georgia rebuild, and in the weeks and months ahead, will be coming to other decisions about our relationship with Russia,” Mr Gates stated stressing that it concerned decisions that could affect Russia’s bid to join the World Trade Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. He also reminded that, with its aggressive actions in the 1970-80s, the Soviet Union “produced unwelcome results” for itself bringing closer its demise.
But apart from political conclusions, the NATO countries should make those military, from the viewpoint of the Pentagon’s Chief. They should boost their military might. “One of the triumphs of the last century was the pacification of Europe after ages of ruinous and bloody wars. But I believe we have reached an inflection point, where much of the continent has gone too far in the other direction. Demilitarization has gone from a blessing into a potential impediment to achieving real and lasting peace, as real or perceived weakness is always a temptation to miscalculation and aggression,” U.S. Secretary of Defense kept on.
Reproaching his European partners for their excessive peacefulness, Robert Gates reminded that only five NATO members out of 26 spend 2% of their GDP on defense, which the North Atlantic Treaty requires. “I would recall the words of George Washington, who warned, “To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” The Pentagon’s Chief summed it up noting that Europe should overhaul its defense policy in connection with the situation in the Caucasus primarily. He then said, though, “This certainly is the case with Russia, but it applies to other security challenges such as Iran.”
According to Los Angeles Times, Robert Gates offered NATO Defense Ministers a plan to minimize Russia’s threat: NATO should establish a rapid response unit to defend the alliance in case of an outer invasion of one of the member-states. The paper cited a source with the Pentagon saying that the idea was endorsed by all the ministers, but no agreement was reached about a crucial thing: which nations would form the unit’s backbone. There has been no official announcement about launching the formation of rapid response forces after the meeting.
It is Eastern Europe, namely the Baltic states that expressed a maximum of enthusiasm over Robert Gates’ proposal. They raised the question whether the alliance will follow Article 5 of the Treaty assisting them in case attacked by Russia. From Mr Gates’ point of view, establishing a rapid response unit will comfort the governments of Eastern Europe and assure them that they won’t be left one-on-one with Russia in case of a potential conflict with Moscow. On the other hand, a step like that should not bring about Russia’s harsh reaction. However, some of the participants of the meeting presumed that even such a demarche is sure to cause Moscow’s fury.
It need be said that it is not the first time that the U.S. comes out in favor of creating rapid response forces under the auspices of NATO. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld advanced a similar initiative back 2003. At that time few European states welcomed the proposal. Europeans would pay much more attention to establishing such units under the auspices of the EU instead of increasing their military dependence on the U.S. The developments in Georgia must have made Europe overhaul its military plans.
&Moscow and Tbilisi exposed as brutalizers
Human Rights Watch urged Moscow and Tbilisi to investigate inhuman treatment of prisoners of war and civilians during the military conflict in the Caucasus. In its press release, the organization accused Tskhinvali, supported by Moscow, of “tortures and murders of soldiers and civil residents”. For its part, Georgia, according to HRW, bears responsibility for “ill treatment” of war prisoners.
The conclusions are based on soldiers and civilians’ evidence, who were detained by the conflict parties. Georgian soldiers, who were in captivity, told HRW staff that “South Ossetians executed at least one and brutally tortured at least four Georgian soldiers”. They say that during tortures Ossetians used hammers, butt stocks, metal rods, and seared the prisoners’ skin with lighters.
Human Rights Watch blamed Russia for it because the Georgian military were kept in Tskhinvali, which was under control of the Russian troops at that moment. Also, according to HRW, Russian soldiers kept several civilians in a pit and beat them up. Rachel Denber, HRW Europe and Central Asia Director, stated, “Russia must find and punish those who committed the awful crimes.”
As to Georgia, it was accused of ill treatment of war prisoners. Two Ossetians told HRW that on August 9 Georgian military detained them in the village of Khetagurovo. They were beaten up, and one of them got his jaw broken. Then they were placed in the military base of Vaziani near Tbilisi, where they were kept in poor conditions, with hardly any food given to them. HRW called on the Georgian government to bring the country’s prisons and pre-trial detention centers in compliance with international standards.
Dmitry Sidorov, Washington
Mikhail Zygar
All the Article in Russian as of Sep. 22, 2008
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