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Financial Times (UK)
26 October 2001
Moscow asks Nato for help in restructuring
By JUDY DEMPSEY
Russia has discreetly asked Nato for assistance in restructuring its defence ministry and armed forces after recent talks in Brussels between President Vladimir Putin and Lord Robertson, Nato secretary-general.
The request was welcomed by Nato officials, who believe the attacks on the US could provide an opportunity for the alliance to forge a much closer relationship with Russia.
Since the attacks on New York and Washington, Russia has backed Washington's fight against terrorism, including the US-led strikes against Afghanistan. It has also supported efforts to oust the Taliban regime and replace it with a broad-based coalition of Afghan political groupings from inside and outside the country.
But in asking Nato for assistance, Mr Putin has taken a gamble that carries big risks, while Nato itself will have to start defining Russia's future role with the organisation.
Mr Putin has to deal with a military establishment that is still deeply suspicious of Nato - particularly if it moves ahead with further enlargement that could include the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. President George W. Bush has said enlargement will take place irrespective of a country's location.
In any case, a threat from Nato has been repeatedly used by the Russian military to justify preservation of the old military infrastructure.
On the other hand, say defence analysts, Mr Putin has to start introducing reforms in an army that has proved incapable of ending the war in Chechnya and one that also requires investments to modernise itself.
Furthermore, without reforms, the threats that Russia faces - money laundering, drug trafficking, ethnic tensions and lax border controls - will prove impossible to handle without fundamental reforms.
"In many ways Nato and Russia share the same interests - and these are about security," said a Nato official. "Nato, as Putin knows, has moved away from just being a collective defence organisation to one that is increasingly focusing on security issues. Look at the Balkans, where we are active."
Mr Putin, diplomats say, is likely to rely heavily on Sergei Ivanov, his defence minister, for preparing the ground for Nato advice. The argument both he and Nato will use is that the first wave of enlargement, encompassing Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, in no way threatens Russia's security or national interests.
The defence establishments in these countries have been slow to do away with the old communist structures. Nevertheless, Nato has since increased its expertise to make the defence ministries more transparent and accountable to civilian control. Nato is also involved in helping potential new members overhaul their ministries and armed forces.
The mechanics of Nato assistance have still to be worked out - as indeed has the new forum for meetings and consultations Mr Putin and Lord Robertson agreed earlier this month. "Much now depends on how Putin can sell it to the generals back home," said a senior European diplomat.
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