The new security doctrine, unveiled recently by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and which is expected to be followed until 2020, aims at consolidating work on national security at various levels of government.
Some leading foreign countries scrambling for military dominance via strategic nuclear forces, high-tech means of warfare and strategic armament with non-nuclear ordnance are perceived as sources of various security threats under this doctrine.
Keeping in consonance with the past legacy of the erstwhile Soviet Union, of which Russia is the natural heir, Moscow is on the way of becoming one of the leading global powers in terms of technological progress and wielding influence on global processes.
In order to thwart threats to its national security, Russia is adopting a new national security strategy, which, it believes, could guarantee a safe national development.
Russia feels that the unilateral global missile defence system and the militarisation of the outer space, which has the potential to start a new spiral of arms race, as well as the development of nuclear, chemical and biological technologies along with the production of weapons of mass destruction or their components and delivery vehicles are sources of threat to its military security.
According to the new Russian security document, the negative influence on its military security situation and on that of its allies is exacerbated by the withdrawal from international accords in the fields of limitation and reduction of armaments, as well as by the actions aimed at unbalancing the systems of state and military control, missile warning, outer space monitoring, the functioning of strategic nuclear forces, the nuclear armament storage facilities, nuclear power plants and other potentially dangerous facilities.
The new Russian security doctrine aims at making Russia a world power which can help maintain strategic stability and “mutually” advantageous partnership in a multi-polar world.
Russia's long-term national interests, designed to be realised through the new security doctrine include, inter alia, the development of democracy and civil society, efforts towards enhancing the competitiveness of the national economy, improvement of the standard of living of Russian citizens, high welfare standards, economic growth, education, healthcare and culture.
The military threats underlying Russia's new security doctrine are the reported move of Ukraine and Georgia, Russia's neighbours, to come into the possession of Western tactical nuclear weapons in the event these two former Soviet republics join NATO.
The United States and NATO hope to gain strategic and military superiority over Russia by enlisting new nations in Russia's vicinity as NATO members.
Russia realises that by acceding to NATO, Georgia, and especially Ukraine, can become convenient springboards for the deployment of large ground, air and naval strikes with high-precision and tactical nuclear weapons.
Seen on this background, the new Russian security doctrine aims at consolidating the efforts of the federal executive bodies and of the government bodies in the Russian regions, and at organising people in the sphere of national security until 2020.
The writer, former minister of culture, professor and chairman of the Political Science Department, University of Jordan, is president of the Orient Centre for Studies and Cultural Dialogue. alrfouh@hotmail.com. He contributed this article to The Jordan Times.
By Faisal Al Rfouh
The new security doctrine, unveiled recently by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and which is expected to be followed until 2020, aims at consolidating work on national security at various levels of government.
Some leading foreign countries scrambling for military dominance via strategic nuclear forces, high-tech means of warfare and strategic armament with non-nuclear ordnance are perceived as sources of various security threats under this doctrine.
Keeping in consonance with the past legacy of the erstwhile Soviet Union, of which Russia is the natural heir, Moscow is on the way of becoming one of the leading global powers in terms of technological progress and wielding influence on global processes.
In order to thwart threats to its national security, Russia is adopting a new national security strategy, which, it believes, could guarantee a safe national development.
Russia feels that the unilateral global missile defence system and the militarisation of the outer space, which has the potential to start a new spiral of arms race, as well as the development of nuclear, chemical and biological technologies along with the production of weapons of mass destruction or their components and delivery vehicles are sources of threat to its military security.
According to the new Russian security document, the negative influence on its military security situation and on that of its allies is exacerbated by the withdrawal from international accords in the fields of limitation and reduction of armaments, as well as by the actions aimed at unbalancing the systems of state and military control, missile warning, outer space monitoring, the functioning of strategic nuclear forces, the nuclear armament storage facilities, nuclear power plants and other potentially dangerous facilities.
The new Russian security doctrine aims at making Russia a world power which can help maintain strategic stability and “mutually” advantageous partnership in a multi-polar world.
Russia's long-term national interests, designed to be realised through the new security doctrine include, inter alia, the development of democracy and civil society, efforts towards enhancing the competitiveness of the national economy, improvement of the standard of living of Russian citizens, high welfare standards, economic growth, education, healthcare and culture.
The military threats underlying Russia's new security doctrine are the reported move of Ukraine and Georgia, Russia's neighbours, to come into the possession of Western tactical nuclear weapons in the event these two former Soviet republics join NATO.
The United States and NATO hope to gain strategic and military superiority over Russia by enlisting new nations in Russia's vicinity as NATO members.
Russia realises that by acceding to NATO, Georgia, and especially Ukraine, can become convenient springboards for the deployment of large ground, air and naval strikes with high-precision and tactical nuclear weapons.
Seen on this background, the new Russian security doctrine aims at consolidating the efforts of the federal executive bodies and of the government bodies in the Russian regions, and at organising people in the sphere of national security until 2020.
The writer, former minister of culture, professor and chairman of the Political Science Department, University of Jordan, is president of the Orient Centre for Studies and Cultural Dialogue. alrfouh@hotmail.com. He contributed this article to The Jordan Times.
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