DATE=12/2/1999
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=RUSSIA - NATO
NUMBER=5-44893
BYLINE=ANDRE DE NESNERA
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

// Eds: This is the fifth in an eight-part series on 
Russia. Issues raised in the series include the role 
of the I-M-F, corruption, and Boris Yeltsin's legacy. 
//

INTRO: Relations between Russia and the West cannot be 
described as "warm."  Many analysts say they have 
deteriorated in the past few years. In the fifth of an 
eight-part series on Russia, former V-O-A Moscow 
correspondent Andre de Nesnera looks at the "cooling 
of relations," especially in the wake of NATO's 
bombing campaign against Yugoslavia.   

TEXT: One of the major - and some might add unforeseen 
- consequences of the demise of the Soviet Union in 
1991, was that from one day to the next, Moscow lost 
its super-power status.  During the days of the cold 
war, Moscow shared the international spotlight with 
Washington.  For decades, international relations were 
dominated by what was known as a "bipolar world": a 
world where decisions by the United States, on the one 
hand, and the Soviet Union, on the other, affected 
many nations. 

But this is  no  longer the case.  And many Russians - 
from ordinary citizens to politicians - describe this 
loss of international prestige and clout in terms of 
humiliation.  They believe the West - led by the 
United States - can do whatever it wants on the world 
stage and treats Russia like a third-world nation.  
And that has created a lot of resentment in many parts 
of Russia. 

Western leaders - including President Bill Clinton - 
have made clear they still consider Russia a major 
player on the world scene. But many analysts say 
relations between Moscow and the West - especially the 
United States - have deteriorated since the heady days 
right after the fall of communism. They say two recent 
examples: NATO's expansion eastward and its bombing 
campaign in Kosovo - against Yugoslav President 
Slobodan Milosevic - have not helped matters one bit. 

Former U-S National Security Adviser General Brent 
Scowcroft says during the recent Kosovo crisis, the 
West did not use Moscow's traditional ties with Serbia 
in an effective way. Instead, he says the United 
States has shunned Russia.

            /// SCOWCROFT ACT ///

      We do not mean to do it. But I believe we are 
      behaving toward them in a way that accentuates 
      their sense of humiliation that they have as a 
      result of the end of the Cold War. And we seem 
      to ignore them, unless we need them for some 
      particular thing. I think it is a very bad way 
      to go. And I think it is giving rise to a strong 
      nationalistic sentiment that is both anti-US and 
      anti-Western.

            /// END ACT /// 

NATO Secretary-General George Robertson admits 
relations between the alliance and Moscow are 
strained. But he says Russian officials - especially 
former Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin - played an 
important role in ending the Kosovo crisis and that 
Russian soldiers now have a stabilizing role in the 
region.

            /// ROBERTSON ACT /// 

      Moscow broke off relations with NATO when the 
      air assaults took place on Yugoslavia (campaign 
      began March 24th - ended June 9th), although they 
      played a big part in the diplomacy beforehand 
      and they were instrumental in helping end the 
      conflict. Since then we have started up 
      discussions about Kosovo and Bosnia only again. 
      But the reality is, that on the ground inside 
      Kosovo, Russian troops and NATO troops are 
      working closely, side by side, in the interest 
      of bringing stability and peace back to that 
      troubled part of the Balkans.

            /// END ACT ///

Militarily, NATO-Russian cooperation is progressing 
smoothly in the Balkans. But the political 
relationship remains frozen. Many analysts wonder what 
will unblock the situation and set Moscow and NATO 
back on the right track that began in May 1997 with 
the signing of the "NATO-Russia Founding Act." The 
groundbreaking document established a pattern of 
cooperation that was simply unthinkable just ten years 
ago.

Jack Matlock - the last American ambassador to the 
Soviet Union - says the West must learn from the 
Kosovo crisis.

            /// MATLOCK ACT //

      We should have been much more careful on the 
      diplomatic front in keeping Russia as more of a 
      partner in solving international crises, instead 
      of pushing them aside and then constantly 
      getting into debates with them. I think we could 
      have done more there.

            /// END ACT /// 
 
Experts expect very little will happen next year to 
change the current state of relations between Moscow 
and the West - and between Moscow and NATO. That is 
because Russia and the United States hold presidential 
elections - times when traditionally, relations have 
been put "on hold."  Analysts say only when new 
administrations in both countries are firmly in place 
can the full-scale relationship resume in earnest. 
(Signed)  

NEB/ADEN/KL



02-Dec-1999 14:19 PM EDT (02-Dec-1999 1919 UTC)
NNNN

Source: Voice of America
.