Russia's living in the strategic past

ARTICLE: Russian Weapon Is in Need of Rescue, By MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ, New York Times, July 15, 2009

Sad state of affairs in the Russian military (not so resurgent): a missile that's seen as emblematic of Russia's military recovery suffers a ton of operational issues.

So why the effort?

Still, many Russian military analysts see the emphasis on nuclear modernization here as less strategic than political.

"Every fourth ruble of government military orders goes toward atomic weapons," said Viktor N. Litovkin, deputy editor of the magazine Independent Military Review. "If you have strategic nuclear weapons, then you are a great power; if not, then you are no one."

Indulging such thinking does us no good long term.

Comments

[Endre]

"If you have strategic nuclear weapons, then you are a great power; if not, then you are no one."

Exactly the same rationale, though, that a great many in the UK use for renewing its nuclear weapons capability

[Greg R. Lawson]

I understand your position that the Russian thought process regarding nuclear weapons is anachronistic. However, despite globalization's obvious dramatic impact, I would argue that old modes of thinking are still with us as they are hardwired into the human mind.

Call me a classical realist in this sense. Is not the human drive for power and its irrational desire for related accoutrements a fundamental aspect of human nature? If so, then all the forward thinking dreams of "progress" can only take us so far.

Russia lives well within this mindset because of their particularly difficult history I suspect having been invaded by Mongols, Napoleon, and Hitler has a way of making a nation be less than sanguine about the threats it perceives.

It may be "outmoded" thinking by our Western standards, but they very fact that it exists in what remains the second greatest nuclear power state means we will remain mired with the unlikely, but never entirely obsolescent prospect of Great Power conflict. This must always be remembered.

[Javaid Akhtar]

The Russians are living in a parrallel universe where the nukes are just viagra for a frail ego.Putin's outdoor stage managed 'tough-guy' videos are just a different flavour of the same theme.I really admire the Russians..but this era is just not their 'Time'.