“If you remember the story, then Russia has every reason to snap on Europe and the West, and the missile shield may be seen as a challenge.”
Robert Mood (Robert Mood), Lieutenant General retired, former head of the UN mission monitoring the ceasefire in Syria and the head of the UN observer mission in the middle East, as well as the inspector General of the Norwegian armed forces, expressed very clearly: “Russia has a big reason to fear the West than Vice versa.”
In this interview, the High North News, after the retired General took part in the conference entitled “Lytring” Stormene in Buda, Robert Mood told about why Russia seems that the balance between East and West is about to change.
“Moscow almost managed to capture twice — once to Napoleon, one Hitler. So there is nothing surprising in the fact that Moscow snarls in Europe and the West and sees us as a challenge,” says Mud.
The rhetoric of the cold war
Mood, who became the winner of the award “Freedom of speech” for 2016, believes that the reason for tension in relations between Russia and NATO partly lies in our inability to see the world from a different position than our own, for example, with Moscow’s position.
“Perhaps the problem lies in this that we probably do not consider it, surrounding himself with rhetoric in the spirit of a sort of new cold war,” says Robert Mood in a conversation with High North News.
Diplomatic game
— Whether dangerous this rhetoric itself? We often hear the head of NATO Jens Stoltenberg and Minister of foreign Affairs of Norway Borge Brende saying that Russia is building up armed forces in the North and growing Russian aggression, which the West needs to answer. Supported by such rhetoric concerns the Russian?
We must understand that among other things happening and the diplomatic game in which Russia has a very professional propaganda machine. The Minister of foreign Affairs of Laramie, perhaps the most professional diplomat in the world, just amazing to watch his manoeuvres.
Missile shield causes concern
Based on this, no one should be surprised that Russia, for example, for propaganda purposes on all cylinders uses the American presence in Trøndelag. This is one side of the case.
But if the Russian analysis concluded that what make Norway and NATO, posing a risk for Russia and its military-strategic bases in the North, the situation is becoming serious, said the Mud.
— And do you really think that this is indeed the case: consider that the Russian activity on this side of the border as a risk to themselves?
— No, I think not. But plans to create a missile defense shield — a more open question, despite the fact that I don’t think they see it as a direct threat, says Robert Mood.
Balance changes
But the fact is that, it’s like when you participate in a duel if the opponent makes himself invulnerable, he has a distinct advantage – if we are talking about offensive operations. This is a simple and old military strategy, and that is worried about Russia.
Retired Lieutenant-General specifies and the balance that existed during the cold war “mutual assured destruction” (Mutual Assured Balance MAD) — when both sides should have known (and know) that the opposite party can inflict you a lethal, devastating blow.
The balance of terror and a low level of tension
This balance of terror was not based on the fact that above us was some kind of protective bubble, on the contrary, it was based on the fact that you can strike at me, and I in you. It was known, hence the interest in the level of tension was lower.
But at the moment when one side can hide behind total defense and, nevertheless, to attack the opposite side — this balance will be disturbed. It is easy to see that this could be perceived as a problem.
— It may seem that the professional military analysts have a more balanced point of view on Russian activity in the North than the political leadership?
Russia is recovering
In any case, it is the case that those involved in military strategy at a high level, it was a profession. It is also true that much of what Russia is doing in the North, in more of an effort to catch up, to recover after many years, when military spending has been given insufficient attention and they fell into decay, and not an escalation of force.
In 1994 the Russian officers were engaged in ice fishing to feed their families, they for six months without pay, they studied at the Academy commanders, and not receiving a salary. Think about it: the humiliation. Russia has catching up to do, says Robert Mood at the end of the conversation.
