Alwaght- Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new version of Russias national security strategy on December 31, 2015. The u p d a t ed strategy indicates Moscows focus on heightening the Russian global influence and prestige, as well as strengthening the national unity in the country.
Olga Oliker, a senior adviser and director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIC), in a an analysis published by the CSIS has noted that Russia believes that it is accomplishing its aims, but simultaneously feels threatened by the United States and its allies.
There is also no question that Russia is concerned about its economy, which Moscow knows is in trouble (and not just because of Western sanctions, convenient as they are to blame). In short, this is the strategy document of an ambitious Russia that sees constraints on its ambitions as threats to be overcome, Oliker adds.
But, this strategy is not that much of a new one. In fact, many parts of the document are a repetition of the Russian past positions. Though the new u p d a t e includes not much surprise, what grabs the attention is the fact that the new national strategy presents Russias present-day worldview.
Russias aims
The new strategy document contains several items the most important one of which is related to the Russian prestige and leadership in both global and regional levels.
The u p d a t ed strategy is an indication of Russias pride of its increasing role in settling the most significant international issues. It also highlights Russias role playing as a global superpower as part of the countrys essential long-term interests.
The document in its economic section adds that Russia seeks increasing its GDP (Gross Domestic Production) to the highest global levels. All these items are an emphasis on Russias dissatisfaction with its prestiges current status and the need to focus on ramping it up prospectively.
To accomplish this end, Russia seeks participation in the international organizations and mechanisms of international law and other partnerships. Furthermore, the regional organizations are also important, as are some bilateral relations with China and India.
Additionally, the cooperation with the EU and the US is not excluded and perhaps it is even necessary, but it depends on their respect for the Russian interests. Russia feels it is making progress: it has already weathered assaults on its economy and demonstrated its capacity to effectively defend its interests, adds Olga Oliker.
Anyway, the Russian national security strategy is not disconnected with the countrys foreign policy objectives. The values, as a sustainable case, are observable throughout the national security document. The preservation of the traditional Russian moral-spiritual values is frequently referred to in the strategy document.
This is a new formulation. The former government national security document has referred to the values, but not quite this way. It can be claimed that the values are to a large extent revived by the new one. Currently, these values are targeted by the West, the terrorist groups and the extremists. All in all, it seems that an emphasis on the traditional values of the country is an undetachable part of the efforts aiming at strengthening the national unity.
The national security strategy document is also articulating some pretty lofty goals on the home front. In the economics section, the planning to improve the Russian economy is impressive. Russia aims to eliminate economic discrepancies between regions and mitigate those between individuals; effect growth; and improves energy security (through a laundry list of mechanisms), government policy, financial systems, and budgeting, maintains Oliker. Also, the strategy has presented plans for attracting foreign investment further and for developing new high technology sectors in the economy. It eyes new economic partners and seeks reducing dependence of the economic sectors.
In terms of national defense, the present military doctrine is cited by the new document as having the potentials to realize the objectives and programs of Russia, as the document, also, opens the discussion on the governments approaches on national security, the deterrence and societal mobilization. It also highlights the military modernization plans as criteria for success of the new national security strategy.
If one pairs Russian military modernization plans, even if these are not dwelt on here, with the promises of improvements in technology, science, education, and health care, as well as general goals for Russians quality of life, implementing this strategy seems like an expensive undertaking, claims Oliker.
Indeed, the increase of the GDP in the health and education sections pretty much stands as part of the criteria to which the success of the strategy is tied. Percentages of GDP can vary widely, and therefore are unlikely to predict specific policy outcomes in and of them, says Oliker.
Russias concerns
The fresh strategy points to an array of threats faced by the Russian national security. Although some of threats like global instability, conventional weapons as well as WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction) proliferation, corruption and subversion have been covered in the older strategy document, Moscow is worried about the US missile defense system, the strategic high-precision non-nuclear weapons and militarization of the space.
Additionally, Russia is concerned about the Western efforts which aim at escalating the tensions in Eurasia region, overthrowing the legitimate governments, causing domestic instability and fueling foreign wars.
All these are seen as challenges to the Russian national interests. For example, both subversion of Ukraines government in 2014 and emergence of the terror group ISIS are deemed as representing challenges for Russia. But while past strategic documents implied a threat from the United States, last years military doctrine preferred to term U.S. and NATO activities as dangers, maintains Oliker.
The new document describes NATO as a threat as the military alliance keeps expanding deployment of its military equipment close to the Russian borders. It also identifies the expansion of the US biological-military facilities in Georgia, Ukraine and Kirgizstan next to the Russian borders as a threat to the countrys national interests.
Regardless of the US and its allies, Russia is concerned about internal and external subversion. Thereby, the military doctrine eyes protecting the domestic population from the extremist propaganda. The new strategys discussion of the Color Revolutions is different from the past documents, as it blames them on the foreign agents. The revolutions themselves are the possible work of radical social groups, foreign and domestic nongovernmental organizations, financial and economic structures, and individuals who seek to destabilize Russia, the strategy document reads.
What does this strategy mean?
For short, the new strategy document deems the world as containing dangers for Russia. A dangerous world where the US and its allies are actively engaged in attempts to downgrade Russias power. The new document may not make clear the Russian actual strategy but it well describes the current Russian perspective. Altogether, it should be claimed that Russias strategy aims to upgrade the countrys power, domestically and globally.
By Alwaght
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