Russia no longer shows forbearance
Name: Zhang Peng Student ID：s07467
Research paper supervisor:Dr.Seku Conde
Minzu University of China
2007-2008 Academic Year
Abstract: It is only a matter of two weeks after US President George W. Bush entertained his Russian counterpart Vladimir V. Putin on his family farm at the Bush estate in Kennebunkport, Maine. With the fall of the curtain for the "Lobster Summit" between the U.S. and Russian leaders, however, the Russian side announced that President Putin had signed a decree to suspend its participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed forces in Europe (CFE) in the latest development in a long-simmering dispute with the West. And this move has evoked violent responses in the United States and Europe.this article want to elaborate three questions:first, narrations what is russian’s suspension of its participation in CFE;second, explanations why russian suspends its participation in CEF;the last, attempts to discuss the influence of Russia's and How to safeguard international security.
Key words: Russia CFE suspend NATO US
Table of Contents
1 Russia Suspends European Arms Control Treaty
1.1Decree
1.2 Reactions
2 History backgroung about European Arms Control Treaty
2.1Introduction
2.2Area of Application and Treaty Membership
2.3Major Treaty Provisions
2.4 A chievements and Implementation of the Original CFE Treaty
2.5 Ratification Prospects for the Adapted CFE Treaty
3 The reasons of Russia's
3.1 “suspension”
3.2 Russia’s economy and military
3.3 NATO members have refused to ratify the amended treaty
3.4 U.S. deploys anti-missile system in the Eastern Europe
3.5 Expansion of NATO
4 The influence of Russia's
4.1Consequences of Russia’s
4.2 The relationships of the U.S. -EU-Russia
4.3The international community
5 How to safeguard international security?
5.1 Is CFE still important?
5.2 Increase the strategic mutual trust
1 Russia Suspends European Arms Control Treaty
1.1Decree
Moscow, 14 July: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed decree "On suspending by the Russian Federation the operation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and the relating international agreements", the presidential press service reported today.
"In connection with exceptional circumstances related to the contents of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe signed on 19 November 1990, which concern the security of the Russian Federation and require urgent measures to be taken, I order:
"1. In line with Article 37 Part 4 of the federal law from 15 July 1995 'On international agreements of the Russian Federation' to suspend the operation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe signed on 19 November 1990 in Paris, and the relating Agreement on Maximum Levels for Holdings of Conventional Arms and Equipment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, the Hungarian Republic, the Republic of Poland, Romania and the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic in connection with the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, which was signed in Budapest on 3 November 1990, and the (relating) Document Agreed By Member-States of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe of 19 November 1990, which is a supplement to the Final Document of the First Conference to Review the Operation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and the Concluding Act of the Negotiation on Personnel Strength (Vienna, 15-31 May 1996), 150 days after the notifications indicated in paragraph 2 of the present Decree are received.
"2. The Russian Foreign Ministry to send notifications about the suspension of the operation of these agreements to the member states and the depositaries of the international agreements that are indicated in paragraph 1 of the present Decree.
"3. The present Decree comes into force from the moment of its signing." [①]
1.2 Reactions
Russia’s planned CFE suspension was harshly criticized by former Warsaw Pact members and Soviet republics. NATO and the United States expressed disappointment and concern。
"We're disappointed Russia has suspended its participation for now," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a statement.
"But we'll continue to have discussions with them in the coming months on the best way to proceed in this area, that is in the interest of all parties involved and provides for security in Europe,"[②] Johndroe said.
NATO spokesman James Appathurai told Brussels-based media on Saturday that the Russian decision is "a disappointing move, a step backwards," as "NATO considers this treaty to be an important foundation of European security and stability."
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed "great concern" over Russia's pullout of the treaty.
Steinmeier, who was in Lithuania for a visit, said the CFE was a central element in the international architecture of disarmament. "That is why we obviously regard Moscow's announcement with great concern."
"In the next few days we will see what concrete measures will be taken because of this announcement," he said, adding that he hoped Russia would go no further than suspend the treaty.
Russia's Baltic neighbors, Latvia and Estonia, believed Russia's decision directly threatens the security of the NATO and Baltic countries. They hoped the decision will not trigger a new round of arms race.
Latvian Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks said that his country will consult with European Union (EU) and NATO countries and that Latvia will take the side of the EU and NATO.
Estonia's Foreign Minister Urmas Paet described Russia's treaty suspension as "bad news," and hoped it will not trigger a new round of arms race.
The Czech Republic regretted Russia's decision to pull out of the CFE, saying it sees no "factual grounds" for Kremlin to take such a step.
"The treaty is one of the cornerstones of European security and withdrawing from it can mean a threat to European security," CzechForeign Ministry spokeswoman Zuzana Opletalova said Saturday.
Romania also expressed "disappointment" over the Russian withdrawal from the treaty.
"Romania considers that the CFE treaty represents a basis for European security," the Romanian Foreign Ministry said, adding that it hoped that dialogue between the states participating in the CFE treaty will be maintained and that "all of the states will continue to respect their obligations within the framework of the treaty."[③]
2 History backgroung about European Arms Control Treaty
2.1Introduction
The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (or CFE Treaty), signed in Paris on November 19, 1990, by the 22 members of NATO and the former Warsaw Pact, is a landmark arms control agreement that established parity in major conventional forces/armaments between East and West from the Atlantic to the Urals. It provides an unprecedented basis for lasting European security and stability. The original CFE Treaty (which is of unlimited duration) entered into force in 1992. Following the demise of the Warsaw Pact and the enlargement of NATO in the 1990s, the then 30 CFE States Parties signed the Adaptation Agreement at the Istanbul OSCE Summit on 19 November 1999, to amend the CFE Treaty to take account of the evolving European geo-strategic environment.
2.2Area of Application and Treaty Membership
The CFE Treaty covers the entire land territory of the States Parties in Europe from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ural Mountains (ATTU). It thus excludes much of the territory of Russia and all the territory of the U.S. and Canada - all signatories of the original and Adapted Treaty. The conventional forces of all three countries that are stationed in Europe are subject to CFE limits. The 30 CFE States Parties are: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and United States.
2.3Major Treaty Provisions
The original CFE Treaty set equal limits for East and West in the ATTU on key conventional armaments essential for conducting surprise attacks or initiating large-scale offensive operations. Those armaments/equipment include: battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, and artillery pieces, as well as combat aircraft (except for naval air) and attack helicopters. In addition to limitations on the number of armaments in each category, the Treaty also provides for central zonal limits to prevent destabilizing force concentrations in Europe and for regional ("flank") limits, which were modified by the Flank Agreement of May 1996. Whereas the original CFE Treaty established an East-West group structure for limiting NATO and Warsaw Pact conventional armaments, the Adapted Treaty provides for a system of national and territorial ceilings (the former limits the number of armaments each state may possess, while the latter limits the total number of Treaty-limited equipment present within a State Party's borders); an accession mechanism for new States Parties; enhanced verification and transparency regimes; and honoring current Treaty commitments pending entry into force of the Adapted Treaty. The Adapted Treaty will facilitate NATO enlargement and reinforce the territorial sovereignty of individual States Parties.
2.4 A chievements and Implementation of the Original CFE Treaty
The principal accomplishment of the CFE Treaty has been the large-scale reduction or destruction of conventional military equipment in the ATTU during the first 5 years the Treaty was in effect. By the end of the Treaty's reduction period in 1995, when equipment limits took effect, the 30 States Parties completed and verified by inspection the destruction or conversion of over 52,000 battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery pieces, combat aircraft and attack helicopters. In addition, they have conducted/accepted over 4000 intrusive on-site inspections [...]
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