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Tactical Nuclear Weapons and NATO.pdf - Program on Strategic ...

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Meanwhile, the factor of China (with its large populati<strong>on</strong><br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> its suspected veiled claim <strong>on</strong> Russian eastern<br />

territories) may appear to be a more important <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

more realistic security c<strong>on</strong>cern than <str<strong>on</strong>g>NATO</str<strong>on</strong>g> for Russia<br />

in the c<strong>on</strong>text of TNWs. It is thus quite likely that the<br />

latest amendments in Russian military doctrine that<br />

allow for the possibility of using nuclear weap<strong>on</strong>s<br />

against c<strong>on</strong>venti<strong>on</strong>al attacks are not accidental.<br />

In spite of the traditi<strong>on</strong>al political rhetoric about<br />

a strategic partnership between China <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> Russia,<br />

in both countries there is a comm<strong>on</strong> opini<strong>on</strong> am<strong>on</strong>g<br />

scholars <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> both societies that the two countries cannot<br />

trust each other. With c<strong>on</strong>tinuous growth in China’s<br />

political, ec<strong>on</strong>omic, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> military weight, China<br />

has become a leading trading partner for the United<br />

States <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> for the European Uni<strong>on</strong> (EU). China c<strong>on</strong>sistently<br />

projects its ec<strong>on</strong>omic interests not <strong>on</strong>ly to Africa,<br />

but also to the regi<strong>on</strong>s that border Russia <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> that<br />

have for centuries been c<strong>on</strong>sidered by Russians to be<br />

in their sphere of vital interests. They stretch from the<br />

countries of Central Asia to Belarus. The routine publicati<strong>on</strong><br />

in recent years of scholarly studies <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> news<br />

media articles about problematic relati<strong>on</strong>s between<br />

Russia <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> China may indeed be a reflecti<strong>on</strong> of the<br />

growing tensi<strong>on</strong>s between the two countries. 9<br />

In additi<strong>on</strong> to the major military security c<strong>on</strong>cerns<br />

related to the TNW issue as discussed above—Russia’s<br />

geographical vulnerability, <str<strong>on</strong>g>NATO</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>venti<strong>on</strong>al<br />

superiority, European BMD deployment, American<br />

weap<strong>on</strong>s in space, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> the challenge of China—Russian<br />

experts also talk about many narrower problems<br />

dealing with terminology, effectiveness of c<strong>on</strong>trol,<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> other peripheral issues. Russian experts discuss at<br />

length the criteria for classifying nuclear weap<strong>on</strong>s as<br />

“tactical” <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> the prospects for establishing <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> main-<br />

161

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