Putin's reelection places Russia on global spotlight

Yuba Nath Lamsal

With Vladimir Putin being reelected as president, global attention has been fixed on Russia-some with enthusiasm and some with concerns and anxiety. Putin, who, in a way or the other, has been in power for the last 12 years- eight years as president and four years as the prime minister, is again in the Russia\'s helms of affairs for another four years as the president for third time. Under Putin\'s leadership, Russia is expected to regain its lost image as an influential global player, reshaping the international equation and order.

With Russia\'s rise, the unipolar world will come to an end and multi-polar global equation is expected to emerge, the process of which has already begun. China has already a global power challenging the American hegemony in the world and Russia is in the making, which has sent shock waves to Western countries mainly the United States. However, the Third World and also emerging powers like China, Brazil, South Africa and India alike are enthusiastic of a new world order and much needed international balance of power.

Perhaps, with this fear and anxiety, the Western countries and their media allies have unleashed a massive propaganda campaign against Vladimir Putin and tried to incite the people in Russia against the newly elected President. Initially a darling of the United States, Putin ultimately turned into a challenger to the Western hegemony. Once he assumed power as President, Putin had vowed to revive Russia\'s old glory-the glory it enjoyed under Soviet Union-acted accordingly.

Russia, without any shade of doubt, has the potentials to be a challenger of the United States in a way the Soviet Union did during the Cold War era. Already faced by the stiff challenge and competition from China in various fronts, the United States is likely to fight strategic wars in two fronts if Russia, indeed, emerged as a challenger. Under Putin\'s leadership, there is very likelihood that Russia would rise as a power both economically and militarily posing formidable challenge to the US-dominated world order. The recent propaganda that the Western media are making on the so-called election fraud is aimed at inciting Russian people against Putin so that Russia would once again fall into political chaos and instability, which would be best bait for the Western countries to check Moscow from gaining the status of superpower.

Since he was first elected as President, he laid down his views and promises on Russia\'s future goals in terms of economic reforms and military modernization. With every passing day, since then, he has become bolder and spoken more forcefully on Russia national security policy, international relations and its role in the international politics. During his election campaign he reiterated his views more clearly and more forcefully, which are being taken by the Western countries with much indigestion. In interviews to the media outlets and also in the election speeches, he has made his mind and intention clear on Russia\'s future strategies and plans in which he promised to make Russia militarily strong, so as not to provide ground for others into thinking that they might win control of its vast natural resources. Russia is rich in natural resources and if its resources are duly harnessed, no power in the world can stop Russia to reemerge as a key player. Under Dmitry Medvedev\'s presidency and Putin\'s premiership, Russia has already asserted its role in the international area in which Moscow has developed closeness with Beijing. The use of veto power by Moscow and Beijing to scuttle the US-sponsored and backed UN resolution for sanction on Syria is evident of more assertiveness of Russia in the international power politics.

Economy and military are two key tools to play bigger role in the international arena. With this in mind, Putin has his own vision of Russia\'s military modernization and economic revitalization, which the United States has dubbed as Russia\'s \'evil intention\' of becoming Washington\'s principal adversary. Military modernization is not Russia\'s choice but compulsion. A country with vast natural riches and complex geopolitical position, Russia is left with no alternative other than strengthening and modernizing its military capability in order to protect its national interests both at home and abroad. Unlike Western countries, Russia has no military alliance with any other countries and it has to defend its interests alone if its interests are clashed in the region and international arena. The Western countries have their military alliance and common security perspective like NATO which would defend their common interests anywhere in the world. Interest of any individual country of the NATO alliance is ultimately interpreted as the common interest of the entire Western World and the NATO force is mobilized accordingly. However, Russia does not have such an alliance on which it can depend for the protection of its territory and interests. This factor has necessitated Russia to modernize its military.

Russia inherits legacy of Soviet Union, which was a superpower during the Cold War era. With the collapse of Soviet Union for numerous reasons, Russia came out as a dominant country that still possesses capability of becoming superpower, although Moscow does not intend to use its hard power to bully any country in the world. But Russia\'s military was neglected for two decades-until the beginning of military reforms in 2008. There is no doubt that a Russia that is comfortable within its own borders and friendly with its neighbors is a major, even indispensable factor for global stability.

In the world dominated by the US-led Western countries, deterrence is the key word that has been often mentioned by security and political analysts. Military deterrence is a key to global security and stability, of which nuclear deterrence is being seen as an important pillar of strategic stability. The present uni-polar world order has posed a serious security threat in the world. Given this circumstances and conditions, other international power poles must come up that would bring the present world order to an end and ensure a new world order that is more secure and more stable.

To confront all these threats, Putin has promised to upgrade Russia\'s weaponry including nuclear arms for which he has already proposed an additional 750 billion US dollars. Under Putin\'s new plan, he proposes to build or buy 400 intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and eight ballistic missile submarines, 20 multipurpose submarines, 50 surface ships, 100 military spacecraft, 600 aircraft, over 1,000 helicopters and 28 S-400 missile interceptors. It would take the period of one decade to complete this project and after the accomplishment of this ambitious project, Russia would still not be at par with what military strength and capability the United States currently has. If we look at the chart of the military chart, Russia is far behind than the United States. It would at least make Moscow fully capable of for maintaining international deterrence. In terms of firepower, Russia is in second position. So far as the active military manpower is concerned, Russia ranks as the fourth. The United States has over 1.477 million active military personnel whereas Russia has only 1.2 million. Even in the defence spending of US and Russia, there is a big difference. The annual defence budget of the United States in 2011 was 692 billion US dollars whereas Russia\'s defence budget was 56 billion US dollars.

The huge spending on defence is an idea not compatible with the concept of people\'s security. The world is now facing the worst economic crisis and Russia is no exception. Russia\'s priority should, thus, be social and economic uplift of its people. Over expenditure on defence would ultimately bleed the social and economic health of the country, which Russia must have learnt from the experiences of Soviet era. However, circumstances, sometime, compel to take a harsher choice. State sovereignty and protection of national interests are the subject of paramount importance. Russia is facing similar situation at present. Moscow is now being cornered and encircled from all sides except the southern front bordering with China. The NATO troops have been deployed in western and south-western front with all its weapons pointing to Moscow. This begs Russia to strengthen military capability.

Given the tone and tenor, Putin seems to be determined to make his project a reality. But things are not as easy as they appear. To accomplish this ambitious project, Russia needs huge fund, which begs a question whether Putin\'s ambitious plan is really sustainable. In the present inter-linked world in general and in the international security system dominated by Western alliances, any single country\'s efforts may not be sufficient to maintain such deterrence. It would be good if similar alliances are built in which other BRICS countries may be persuaded. Russia and China can play a lead role in this initiative to counter the Western domination and hegemony.

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