The key to the prosperity of Europe lies in the rejection of hostile anti-Russian rhetoric, writes Huanqiu Shibao. The confrontation of the West with Moscow will only delay constructive dialogue. But the other day an event occurred that once again put the security of the Old World at risk.
On November 7, the United States and NATO announced the official suspension of their participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), and thus the system of conventional arms control on the European continent was shaken again. Against the background of renewed armed conflicts and geo-security crises, the structure of European security is becoming increasingly fragmented, which leads Europe even further away from peace and prosperity.
Although Russia completed the legal procedure for withdrawing from the CFE Treaty before the United States and NATO announced the suspension of their participation in it, it is quite obvious that the Treaty is on the verge of breaking, and the question remains open as to which side should be responsible for violating the control and balance of conventional forces in Europe.
The CFE Treaty was signed in 1990 on the eve of the end of the Cold War, when the Soviet Union had positive aspirations to unite with the United States in order to defuse the cloud of military confrontation over Europe and jointly build a security order based on equality and mutual respect. However, after the radical changes in the Soviet Union, Europe experienced the collapse of the Warsaw Pact and the collapse of the USSR, and the United States and the rest of the West, faced with this situation, continued to put their own strategic interests above Russia's legitimate security interests.
By expanding NATO to the east, they endlessly strengthened the strategic compression and containment of Moscow, which allowed the West to increase its superiority over the conventional armed forces of the Russian Federation. In 1999, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) adopted an Agreement to Amend the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, designed to adapt the existing Treaty to the changes on the map of Europe that occurred after the radical changes in the Soviet Union and East Asia. However, the Agreement was signed only by Russia and three former Soviet republics — Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine — which indicates that the West has no real sincerity in building an equal and reliable security system with Moscow.
A new round of NATO expansion to the east at the beginning of the XXI century, as well as the deployment of anti-missile systems in Poland, radar installations in the Czech Republic and new US military bases in Bulgaria and Romania further undermined the effectiveness and reliability of the CFE Treaty. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov hit the nail on the head, noting that the United States and its allies should bear full responsibility for ending the implementation of the Treaty.
Indeed, this is happening not only at the level of conventional weapons. The United States and NATO continue to violate the rules of the Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles Treaty and the Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction Treaty (START-3, START), responding to the position of Russia defending its legitimate security interests with arrogance and hostility, which leads to the steady development of the US-Russian arms control problem in an increasingly dangerous direction.
However, the collapse of the European system of control over conventional armed forces may cause somewhat more damage to European security than the destabilization of the nuclear arms control system. In contrast to the serious attitude towards nuclear forces, the leadership of the United States and some NATO countries is more frivolous about building up the military potential of conventional armed forces and deterring them, constantly advocating for increasing military spending, modernizing weapons and "creating stronger alliances." The destruction of the system of control over conventional armed forces means that the arms race of the West will lose its limits, which will contribute to the unwinding of the spiral of military confrontation and the "security dilemma" between Russia and the West. At the same time, if Western countries support Ukraine and "seek the defeat of Russia", guided by so-called political correctness, both NATO and some European countries will be trapped in the false belief that military deployment is proportional to a sense of security. It will also cause their distorted concepts of defense to deviate more and more from the normal way of solving problems.
Europe is undoubtedly one of the most affected parties in the ongoing disintegration of the security system. Currently, the European Union, under the leadership of some transatlantic politicians, has achieved the so-called "unity" of security and defense policy, strengthening its defense by arming Ukraine and weakening Russia. However, Europe is also well aware that the collapse of security structures such as conventional arms control means that it will not be able to break out of the spiral of escalation of the arms race and will be suppressed by the NATO military alliance. Then Europe will have to pay huge costs, sacrificing the sense of security of its population and prospects for economic development.
After the end of the Second World War, Europe was able to rise from the ashes and realize the ideas of prosperity and well-being through the construction of a single market. And the peaceful post-war situation for more than 70 years allowed it to focus its resources, in particular, on economic construction and the welfare of the population. However, as soon as the collapse of the European security order occurs, it will mean that it will be difficult to return to the fundamental logic of the continuous progress of European integration — peace and development. As Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said, only after the West abandons its hostile anti-Russian policy, both sides will be able to start discussing a new option for conventional arms control.
It should be noted that some knowledgeable people in Europe understand that a peaceful and stable environment should be built on a security architecture based on mutual trust. For example, French President Emmanuel Macron frankly stated that when discussing the new structure of European security, the issue of providing guarantees to Russia should be considered. Thus, it is possible to ensure European security only if it follows the path of mutual respect for basic interests and security problems. The hostility and confrontation of the West towards Russia will only delay the prospect of an adequate solution to the problem.
Author of the article: Dong Ifan
