German defense minister: NATO needs Russia

Regnum Moscow ^ | 02/05/2006

[jb6]

German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung believes NATO needs Russia as a partner for securing its stability. “To secure stability towards South-Eastern Europe and provide stability in the neighboring to Europe Caucasian area, active effort of the Alliance and for this it needs Russia as a partner. As we want to expand the stability area and we should act very carefully,” said the minister at the Munich Conference on Security Policy, reports Gazeta.Ru.

The conference opened in Munich (Germany) on February 4. The major topics at the conference include discussion of the Iranian nuclear program, war against terrorism, strengthening NATO cooperation with the European Union.

[jb6]

ping

[Atlantic Bridge]

It must be somehow a insult to Russia if NATO has to point out that the former superpower is still "needed" as a security partner.

But anyhow, Jung isn't that wrong. If the implosion of power on the Russian territory will continue, it is only a matter of time, that the Chinese will take over Siberia to suck out its resources. Either in a economical or a millitary way.

What can Russia do? The answer is simple: Open its system to freedom and capitalism and stop the internal anarchy and the lack of legal security. If the way is opened to foreign investments, its economy will get the critical push to be a benefit to all Russians and not just a small and ruthless elite. In the moment the earning capacites of Russians are that disproportionate that it leads to ongoing instability and a dissatisfying growth rate of roundabout 6%. The potentials of the country are much higher.

Only if the Russians earn enough money they will be able to afford a suitable millitary to keep potential threats like China outside their boarders.

[SevenofNine]

WHOA OUCH that hurt for Russia LOLOL!

You know this not make KGB agent VLAD not too pleased

[jb6]

The answer is simple: Open its system to freedom and capitalism and stop the internal anarchy and the lack of legal security.

Is that why this year its projected to be 5th to 7th in volume of international investment? China will not spend millions of lives, tens of billions of dollars, and several cities to get what it pays for now...Russian oil.

[jb6]

Only if the Russians earn enough money they will be able to afford a suitable millitary to keep potential threats like China outside their boarders.

Doesn't make any sense. Russians earn around $9,500 in neutral dollars, Chinese $1,500, how is it China has a military?

[Atlantic Bridge]

Doesn't make any sense. Russians earn around $9,500 in neutral dollars, Chinese $1,500, how is it China has a military?

As I said it. It is just a matter of time that the Chinese take over large parts of Russia. Today we have 1,306,313,812 Chinese citizens and just 143,420,309 Russians. The Chinese GDP is $8.158 trillion . Russia's GDP is $1.535 trillion. Instead of having a unsatisfing growth of 6% like the Russians the Chinese can make up with 9.2%.

Russia in its contemporary formation is not survivable. Therefore it needs change.

[stefan10]

The chinese GDP is much lower than the number you present. (Jesus 8 trillion that would made a growth rate during the laast year) It is about 2 trillion.

The chines have enough problems and space. they will never attack russia and why should they do this. There is no real reason to act like that beside your dreams.

We had this discussion before and russia is a strategic partner especially for europe. The times of cold war are over and will never come back. The relationship between russia and europe will become closer and closer in the upcoming years simply because we have the same interests and need each other.
Both sites can only win from this development.

Look at the history after 1990 and the policy of every german government from Kohl to schröder and merkel will do the same. Simply because there are strong reasons for good and close relations to russia.

That´s the way it is

[Joe Boucher]

Open its system to freedom and capitalism?
You ever hear of Puttie Putin?

He has put the breaks on freedoms and individual liberty. As
long as he is the boss there is no chance for this former k.g.b. guy will allow a free society. It just isn't in his makeup.
Wait a minute, what's that I hear? Another russian newspaper forced to close by the security apperatus.

[Atlantic Bridge]

The chinese GDP is much lower than the number you present.

Source: CIA factbook

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ch.html

Just look under "economy". The Chinese GDP (purchasing power parity) of $8.158 trillion (2005 est.) is the first topic.

We had this discussion before and russia is a strategic partner especially for europe. The times of cold war are over and will never come back. The relationship between russia and europe will become closer and closer in the upcoming years simply because we have the same interests and need each other. Both sites can only win from this development. Look at the history after 1990 and the policy of every german government from Kohl to schröder and merkel will do the same. Simply because there are strong reasons for good and close relations to russia.

I never said that Russia is no partner of the west. I simply pointed out that they will loose their empire if they sit out the needful reforms. China's good reasons to get Russian soil? Resources and space for their growing population. Guess why Hitler invaded them in 1941?

Russia's problem is, that free nations can not accept their little genocide in Chechnya, or their so called "guided democracy" (what a joke!) or their barbarian millitary.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1572679/posts

To be a member of the western world it needs more than just some lib service about democracy and values.

[Atlantic Bridge]

As long as he is the boss there is no chance for this former k.g.b. guy will allow a free society. It just isn't in his makeup.

That long they will stay -just as the former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt said it- "a Burkina Faso with nuclear warheads".

[tonycavanagh]

re :Only if the Russians earn enough money they will be able to afford a suitable military to keep potential threats like China outside their boarders.

re :Doesn't make any sense. Russians earn around $9,500 in neutral dollars, Chinese $1,500, how is it China has a military?

There is much about the weakness of the Russian military the corruption lack of modern or even workable equipment, a lot of that has to do with the changes wrought in Russian society in the last ten years couple with a long term war in Chechnya which takes up a sizable portion of the Military budget.

China has had stability a stable society and economy which is reflected in her military.

But the Chechnya operation exposed the weakness of the Russian military to the world.

The Chinese military is an unknown quantity, apart from border disputes with the USSR in the late 60s they have not been involved in any armed conflicts.

The Chines military could be in the same shape as the military of the Soviet Union in the late 80s for all its size and perceived strength a almost paper tiger.

[Joe Boucher]

In other words a third world craphole with nukes.

[stefan10]

1. i know this source and you decided to publish the GDP purchasing power parity and not the "normal" definition.

If you look at the GDP of industrialized nations as the USA or Germany you will see that there is no real difference between the two numbers or better the purchasing power is normally lower than the "normal" GDP.

While the concept of purchasing power has several advantages the problems with developing countries like China are huge.
if you look at other financial sources you will not find your number simply because for countries like china it does not make much sense for several reasons.



2. The policy of china has clearly nothing in common with hitler and china faces a demographic crisis in the future because of the one child policy. China had, has and will have a very careful foreign policy and this will continue. opinions like yours are clearly more fiction than anything else. China is and will be in the future dependent on trade and more or less good relations to the rest of the world. I don´t see why china should have any interest in a conflict with russia.


Oh come on "free nations can not accept their little genocide in Chechnya" in which world do you live?
Just a look at the history and the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter is often just a question of opinion or who wins that war. The british troops call the jews terrorists and treated them as terrorists because that what they did in palestine in the late 40s would you believe the brits were right no you wouldn´t (as a german)

Who decides which nation deserves a state and which not. Do the kurdes deserve a state and so the PKK are freedom fighters and not a terrorist organization or the IRA in northern ireland Hisbollah in lebanon. I agree the people in chechnya want independence and got my sympathy and the russians believe that these people are terrorists because they kill innocent people and children in schools hospitals or theaters and so on and on.

We will see what the future brings and i am very confident hat i am right on that issue. beside these things russia and the EU will work closer together because on many fields we have the same interests and will benefit from good relations.

[Atlantic Bridge]

Oh come on "free nations can not accept their little genocide in Chechnya" in which world do you live?

No. Free nations do not accept mountains of slaugthered civillians. It is not the terrorists that die in huge numbers in Chechnya, the "colateral" damage of the Red Army is the problem. They are unable to fight the terrorists but their competence is good enough to kill old people and to rape little girls.

We will see what the future brings and i am very confident hat i am right on that issue. beside these things russia and the EU will work closer together because on many fields we have the same interests and will benefit from good relations.

I share your view that the European future lies in close ties with Russia. Anyway we should use their depency on us to press them to better ethics and values. Russia has great potential but it needs a good leadership and a better system to open its possibilities. Putie is not the right choice. He does not deserve our sympaty.

[stefan10]

As i said it is always a question of opinion and as people living in a free country we have every right to have a different one.

And free nation often accepted mountains of slaughtered civilians when a) these free nations supported the government (for whatever reason) that did that or b) the free nations not care about these things because it happened in regions that are not very "interesting" like africa. free nations can not solve everything at everytime because our world is far from beeing perfect.

[GarySpFc]

No. Free nations do not accept mountains of slaugthered civillians. It is not the terrorists that die in huge numbers in Chechnya, the "colateral" damage of the Red Army is the problem. They are unable to fight the terrorists but their competence is good enough to kill old people and to rape little girls.

Contrary to what you are hearing the real issue in Chechnya is with the Chechens, who are lead and trained by al-Qaeda. That was not public knowledge 2 years ago, but it is now. Have you any idea on what terms a peace agreement can be made with al-Qaeda?

The majority of you have been reading the propaganda pieces put out by the drama queen, Anna Politovskaya, who is an unwitting mouthpiece for the terrorists. She never presents the Russian side, and it is obvious to those of us who have been in the military her reporting is not what she observed, but what she has been told by the Chechens, who are some of the most brutal sobs in the world.

[x5452]

Yeah but drama has it's perks, it keeps awards from socialist-leftist organizations rolling in.

[x5452]

I'm sure leftist reporters insist that's exactly what our army is doing in Iraq; raping little girls and killing old people. Do you honestly beleive such rubbish?

[x5452]

Putin is the choice of the people, democratically elected with an outstanding majority. Having been all over Russia myself, as have Romanov, JB6, and GarySPFC. I can safely tell you Putin is undisputably the choice of the people.

Advocating change of leadership from the choice of the people to the choice of the elite foreign nations is imperialism.