John Chuckman
COMMENT POSTED TO MOON OF ALABAMA
“Why the End of the INF Treaty Will Not Start a New Arms Race”
I think that's an accurate assessment.
Putin has no interest in an arms race because one of his fundamental objectives is for Russia to enjoy an extended period of peace and security while its economy grows and increases general prosperity.
Russia’s brilliant new hypersonic and other weapons, the results of highly focused efforts, now have given Russia the security it needs for some years to come. Protection of the homeland, not aggression abroad. The United States simply does not have a counter to weapons which assure mutual destruction if Russia is attacked.
Russia spends about one-tenth of what the United States does on defense, and it has recently actually cut its military budget somewhat. Putin is an extremely pragmatic leader, something a lot of people in the West do not understand.
With security assured, Russia must have growth, and an arms race is only a guarantee of resources being squandered and attention being drawn away from the goal.
Putin works hard along every avenue he can to bring new business relationships and investments to Russia – China, India, Europe, the BRIC countries, you name it. Russia is open for business.
People in the West often forget, or they don't know, that Russia underwent literally a great depression of its own with the collapse of the Soviet Union. People with no work, reduced to trying to sell trinkets on the street.
It was a very sad spectacle for a proud and ancient people.
