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Europe

Putin Seeks Economic Growth, New Weapons

2003-05-16

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that his country faces serious threats that require a major increase in economic growth, further military reforms and the development of new strategic weapons.
Hmmm. New weapons? Not impressed with the performance of Soviet weapons in Iraq, Vladdy?
In an hour-long address in the Kremlin, Putin also spent time addressing the war in the breakaway republic of Chechnya, where more than 75 people died this week in two separate suicide bombings. Putin said Russian forces "would finish the job" of ending the conflict, a sign that the Kremlin intended to continue military operations to end rebel resistance to Russian rule.
Oh, I just bet he'll finish the job. Of course, considering the enemy, it's probably not a bad thing...

If they're going to finish the job, they've got to ignore the small fry for the moment and specifically go after Basayev, Maskhadov, and al-Walid. Once those three are dead, preferably in the same afternoon, start rounding up wahhabi mullahs and sweep Pankisi Gorge...

"We face serious threats," Putin told lawmakers gathered in the marble room in the Kremlin, which was once used for high-level meetings of the Soviet Communist Party, for the president's annual address to the nation.
Yeah. You listen to Chirac.
Under his leadership, Putin said Russia had avoided the danger of disintegrating and that its strategic goal is to become a powerful nation.
Ahem, ditch France. That's a step in the right direction.
"Russia can exist within its borders only if it is a great power," he said. In a stern, forceful voice, Putin listed the country's demographic slide, poverty, the spread of weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism as among the problems that Russia must confront. He said Russia's bloated bureaucracy hindered economic development and called for radical cuts in the administration and acknowledged the migration policy formulated by his government needed to be revamped. On political reform, he said forming a government based on a parliamentary majority should be considered.
Join the club.

All of Russia's current problems were foreseeable in outline in 1992. (I wrote a fairly detailed projection of what was going to happen in that year, and since then I've been watching events unfold on schedule.) The breakdown of the Soviet system led to it's probable outcome, which was ten years of "wild west" near-anarchy as both the empire and the state-run apparatus broke up. Life-long commies switched to being capitalists, but they were capitalists as presented in commie propaganda. They're in position now to come out of that period, though it won't be overnight, and Putin is probably the right man to start bringing them out. He just has to realize that his children will probably be the ones who see Russia..

But in a country that has undergone political turmoil and constant change for 15 years, he warned against reform for reform's sake. "There cannot be a permanent revolution," Putin said.

That's a recipe for permanent anarchy. The rhythm's got to be change-maintain-change-maintain...

Putin criticized the government for its slackness in achieving economic gains. "The tempo of economic growth is slowing," he said. He said the country's GDP should be doubled over the next 10 years and said the ruble should become fully convertible. Putin said Russia's strategy should be to ensure that Russia can become a "truly strong, economically progressive and influential" country in the world.

It's got to be done incrementally, though, not with a 5-year-plan approach. The preference for "pyatiletki" were one of the problems of the Soviets.

Putin devoted little time to international affairs. The Russian leader praised the success of the anti-terrorist coalition formed after Sept. 11, but he repeated, as he has so often in the past, that the United Nations remains "the most important" mechanism for regulating international conflict.
See, Vladdy, there's where you need to have that "permanent revolution" in thinking.

We all make mistakes. Believing in the Tooth Fairy, pixies, and the UN are only a few of those available. They'll outgrow it.

"It must be cared for," Putin said. Turning to military reform, Putin noted that Russia was developing a new generation of strategic weapons. He provided no detail, but the announcement was met with applause.
WOO HOO! Let's sell them to Iran!
According to Russian media and military analysts, there were no visible development programs for new strategic weapons in the 1990s except for a new type of strategic missile being developed for the navy and the modernization of Soviet-built ballistic missiles intended to extend their lifetime. Pavel Felgenhauer, an independent military analyst, said that Putin's statement could refer to new types of nuclear warheads that are believed to be under development. "The president apparently meant a new generation of nuclear warheads, including low-yield ones similar to those designed by the Americans," Felgenhauer said in a telephone interview. Development of those weapons began long ago, Felgenhauer said, and their "deployment is quite realistic."
Ah, that's very reassuring.

Those are tactical weapons, though, not strategic. Perhaps he's referring to the ABM system...

Putin, who is seeking to reform Russia's military by gradually introducing an all-volunteer army, also proposed reducing military service to one year from two by 2008. Russia has tremendous problems meeting its draft quotas because of often horrific conditions in the military.

Improving conditions within the military would go far toward making it better. A one-year term of service is a bad idea. It takes almost that long to train and acclimate a decent soldier. Then you lose him?

Posted by:Celissa

#2 Putin walks a very fine line here. For now Europe doesn't see Russia as a military threat... it would be foolish of him to try to change this.

But I doubt Russia has the money for an arms race anyway.

Posted by: True German Ally 2003-05-16 09:06:31

#1 "Strategic weapons"--we're not talking tanks here--we're talking ballistic missiles, ballistic missile submarines, and bombers. Is this idiot trying to resurrect the Cold War with a new arms race?

Posted by: Dar 2003-05-16 08:54:48

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