But then came the German "counterattack" in the form of a speech by Schroeder calling NATO outdated and proposing a trans-Atlantic panel of experts to reform it. NATO, Schroeder said, was "no longer the primary venue where trans-Atlantic partners consult on and coordinate strategic ideas." Schroeder's point was that many of the divisive, post-Cold War issues -- for example, the Iraq war, the Kyoto protocol, weapons sales to China -- were outside the scope of the U.S.-controlled alliance and there was currently no other appropriate forum in which to discuss them.
Three points were worth noting about the Schroeder speech. First, the chancellor had used what had originally been an annual, informal gathering of NATO allies to discuss Cold War security issues but which had recently changed its character (the Russians now attend) in order to make his point that NATO was out of date. Second, judging from Rumsfeld's reaction, the Germans had probably given the defense secretary no advance word on what Schroeder was going to say. In fact, Rumsfeld was non-committal, "I don't know," he said. "We're reviewing NATO structures already. I have the impression that important issues are discussed at NATO." Third, Schroeder was sending a message that, while somewhat vague, could be seen as a rejection of the notion that the world revolved around American solutions. - LINK
Couldn't both things be going on at the same time? Wouldn't it be in Russia's interests to both work to replace NATO and penetrate NATO at the same time?...to control both side of the dialectic as much as possible?
Are these guys nuts or what???
NATO Transformed
7. Forging new relations with Russia
Contents
1. Alliance purpose and fundamental security tasks
2. At the heart of the transatlantic partnership
3. Strengthening defence capabilities
4. The changing role of NATO's forces
5. Extending security through partnership
6. Opening the Alliance to new members
7. Forging new relations with Russia
8. A distinctive partnership with Ukraine
9. Dialogue with Mediterranean countries
10. Peacekeeping and crisis management
11. Responding to civil emergencies
12. Collaborating in science and environment
13. How NATO works
14. Change and continuity
NATO has been building bridges and developing cooperation with Russia since the early 1990s. The rationale for cooperation between NATO countries and Russia is clear: common security challenges are best tackled through cooperation and Russia's involvement is critical for any comprehensive post-Cold War European security system.
In the wake of the September 2001 terrorist attacks, which reinforced the need for coordinated action to respond to common threats, the NATO-Russia partnership was given new impetus and substance at the Rome Summit in May 2002. A new NATO-Russia Council (NRC) was created, which brings together the NATO Allies and Russia as equal partners to identify and pursue opportunities for joint action. Cooperation is being intensified in key areas of mutual interest and concern.
The decision to deepen their partnership demonstrates the shared resolve of NATO countries and Russia to work more closely together towards the common goal of building a lasting and inclusive peace in the Euro-Atlantic area, which was first expressed in the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security, providing the basis for the NATO-Russia partnership.
Developing relations
Russia was a founding member of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council in 1991 and joined the Partnership for Peace in 1994, and Russian peacekeepers worked alongside NATO counterparts in the Balkans from 1996 until their withdrawal in summer 2003 (see paragraph Peacekeeping). However, the true basis for a strong and durable partnership between NATO and Russia was provided by the Founding Act, signed in Paris on 27 May 1997. This led to the creation of the Permanent Joint Council (PJC) as a forum for regular consultation on common security issues and the development of a programme of consultation and cooperation.
Much progress was made over the next five years in building mutual confidence and overcoming misperceptions through dialogue. In 1999, despite differences over the Kosovo air campaign which led to a year-long interruption in the PJC's meetings, several activities, including peacekeeping in Bosnia and Herzegovina, continued without interruption.
Yet, the ambitions expressed in the Founding Act were never fully realised under the PJC. Its "NATO-plus-1" format meant that NATO came to the table with agreed Alliance positions, and NATO and Russia exchanged information and conducted consultations in a more or less "bilateral" fashion, which proved cumbersome when the time came to move beyond consultation and to seek more genuine cooperation. When the need for concerted action to tackle international terrorism and other new security threats became urgent in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks, the Allies and Russia were therefore quick to seize the opportunity to take their relationship to a higher level by establishing the NATO-Russia Council to promote cooperation as equal partners (see paragraph The NATO-Russia Council).
To facilitate cooperation, Russia established a mission to NATO in 1998. Since then, to explain the new NATO and promote the benefits of the NATO-Russia partnership, a NATO Information Office has been set up in Moscow. A NATO Military Liaison Mission has also been established there, which is helping improve transparency and the development of practical military cooperation.
Deepening cooperation
The NRC is evolving into a productive mechanism for consultation, consensus building, cooperation, joint decision and joint action. Already in its first 18 months of existence, political consultations were held on the situation in Afghanistan, Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and practical cooperation was leading to concrete benefits in many areas.
The NRC has created several working groups and committees on terrorism, proliferation, peacekeeping, theatre missile defence, airspace management cooperation, civil emergencies, defence reform, scientific cooperation and on the challenges of modern society. Experts have been tasked to carry forward individual projects in a broad range of other areas. Hardly a day goes by without an NRC meeting, at one level or another, leading to an unprecedented intensity of contacts and informal consultation.
The struggle against terrorism and new security threats are key areas of cooperation that are generating some of the first tangible results of the reinforced NATO-Russia relationship. Joint assessments of specific terrorist threats in the Euro-Atlantic area are being developed and kept under review and the military's role in combating terrorism is being explored. Cooperation against proliferation of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and the spread of ballistic missile technology has intensified: a joint assessment of global trends in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is being prepared and cooperation in theatre missile defence is addressing the unprecedented danger posed by the increasing availability of ever more accurate ballistic missiles. A Cooperative Airspace Initiative is seeking to foster cooperation on air-traffic management and air surveillance, which will enhance air safety and transparency and will also help counter the threat of the potential use of civilian aircraft for terrorist purposes.
A key objective of military cooperation is to improve interoperability, since, modern militaries must be able to operate within multinational command and force structures, when called upon to work together in peace-support or crisismanagement operations. A substantial exercise and training programme is being implemented under the NRC. Logistics, including interoperability tests for equipment and procedures in areas such as air transport and air-to-air refuelling, are another focus of activities. Intensified cooperation in search and rescue at sea was initiated after the August 2000 sinking of the Russian nuclear submarine, Kursk, and the loss of its 118 crewmen. A framework agreement between NATO and Russia on submarine crew escape and rescue was signed in February 2003.
Defence reform is another area of shared interest. Russia and NATO countries need armed forces that are appropriately sized, trained and equipped to deal with the full spectrum of 21st century threats. While there is no blueprint for military reform, Russia could benefit from the experience of NATO countries, many of which have introduced fundamental reforms over the past decade to adapt their armed forces to today's requirements. Following an initial brainstorming in October 2002, cooperation has been launched on different aspects of defence reform, such as the management of human and financial resources; macro-economic, financial and social issues; and force-planning. The activities of a successful joint project for the retraining of retired Russian military personnel, set up in Moscow in July 2002, are being expanded. Moreover, the NATO Defense College in Rome set up two fellowships in 2003 for Russian scholars to promote research on defence reform.
Russia and NATO have been cooperating since 1996 to develop a capacity for joint action in response to civil emergencies, such as earthquakes and floods, and coordinate detection and prevention of disasters before they occur. And it was a Russian proposal that led to the establishment of the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre in 1998 (see paragraph A Euro-Atlantic disaster-response capability ). Various disaster-relief exercises and seminars, often including participants from other Partner countries, help develop civilmilitary cooperation. Under the NRC, work in this area is concentrating initially on improving interoperability, procedures and the exchange of information and experience.
Scientific and technological cooperation with Russia, launched in 1998, focused on three specific areas of particular interest to Russia, namely plasma physics, plant biotechnology and the forecasting and prevention of natural and industrial catastrophes. Under the NRC Science Committee, however, a new focus of cooperation is the application of civil science to defence against terrorism and new threats, such as in explosives detection or in examining the social and psychological impact of terrorism. Environmental protection problems arising from civilian and military activities are a further new area of cooperation, under a Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society set up under the NRC in 2003.
The NATO-Russia Council
The 2002 Rome Declaration, which builds on the goals and principles of the 1997 Founding Act, established the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) as a mechanism for consultation, consensus-building, cooperation, joint decision and joint action, in which the individual Allies and Russia work as equal partners on a wide spectrum of Euro-Atlantic security issues of common interest. Continuous political dialogue on security issues enables the early identification of emerging problems, the determination of common approaches and the conduct of joint actions, as appropriate.
The new Council, replacing the PJC, works on the principle of consensus. It is chaired by NATO's Secretary General. Meetings are held at least monthly at the level of ambassadors and military representatives; twice yearly at the level of foreign and defence ministers and chiefs of staff; and occasionally at summit level. An important innovation is the NRC Preparatory Committee, which meets at least twice a month to prepare ambassadorial discussions and to oversee all experts' activities under the auspices of the NRC.
Work under the NRC focuses on all areas of mutual interest identified in the Founding Act. Cooperation is being intensified in a number of key areas, which include the fight against terrorism, crisis management, non-proliferation, arms control and confidence-building measures, theatre missile defence, logistics, militaryto- military cooperation, defence reform and civil emergencies. New areas may be added to the NRC's agenda by the mutual consent of its members.
Peacekeeping
For over seven years (until their withdrawal from SFOR and KFOR in summer 2003), Russia contributed the largest non-NATO contingent to the UN-mandated, NATO-led peacekeeping forces in the Balkans. Russian soldiers worked alongside NATO and Partner counterparts to support the international community's efforts to build lasting security and stability in the region.
Russian peacekeepers first deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina in January 1996, where they were part of a multinational brigade in a northern sector, responsible for an extensive area, conducting daily patrols, security checks, assisting with reconstruction and performing humanitarian tasks, such as helping refugees and displaced people return to their homes.
Russia played a vital diplomatic role in securing an end to the Kosovo conflict, despite political differences over NATO's 1999 Kosovo air campaign. Its troops, originally deployed in June 1999, played an integral part in the Kosovo Force until their withdrawal, working to maintain security in multinational brigades in sectors in the east, north and south of the province; exercising joint responsibility for running the Pristina airfield, alongside a NATO contingent with responsibility for air movement; and providing medical facilities and services in Kosovo Polje.
Close cooperation between NATO and Russia in the Balkans has been critical in improving relations and building trust between the Russian and Allied militaries. The mutual confidence gained should provide a solid basis for further expanding military- to-military cooperation. Moreover, under the NRC, a generic concept for joint peacekeeping operations has been agreed, which develops common approaches, establishes a framework for consultation, planning and decision-making during an emerging crisis, and defines issues related to joint training and exercises.
http://www.nato.int/docu/nato-trans/html_en/nato_trans07.html