“Blasts could engender new US-Russia anti-terror dialogue”
After the terrorist attacks in Moscow, there is hope for a new, more comprehensive anti-terror dialogue between Moscow and Washington, believes German political and business consultant Christoph Hörstel.
The specialist joined RT to speak on the possible changes in Russia’s and global politics the Monday attacks in Moscow could bring.
Viktoria Panova, political analyst from Moscow State University of International Relations, wouldn’t agree that the metro blasts might draw Russia and her western partners closer together.
Terrorism has always been a major threat in Russia, that’s why the country supports NATO-led efforts in Afghanistan.
“What’s more problematic is the threat of drug-trafficking. This is what happens. This is where NATO is not ready to cooperate at the moment. They say that it’s not in their mandate”, says Panova.
More attention should be given to the drug-trafficking problem since it’s interlinked with terrorism threats. Then it will make the cooperation between NATO and Russia more efficient.
“The very nature of modern terrorism, the fact that it is an international phenomenon, needs a global international response”, Igor Zevelev, from the MacArthur Foundation, told RT.
According to him, the global cooperation to fight terrorism must take place on two levels: the political, and on the level of security agencies.
Zevelev adds that the April summit in Prague, devoted to the signing of the new START treaty, will give president Medvedev and president Obama the chance to discuss a wide range of issues, including common efforts in fighting international terrorism.
“I don’t think that in terrorism Russia and the United states have a great deal of things to cooperate on,” James Carafano, a retired US Lieutenant Colonel and now a Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told RT.
The expert admits that terrorism today is a global threat facing the whole world.
“Certainly we should all have a common cause… It is inexcusable to murder innocent people for any political cause,” Carofano said.
However, the expert points out that though groups like Al Quaeda and Chechen militants have a common cause, they are still two separate threats. Thus, he dismisses the possibility of close cooperation between Russia and the US in fighting terrorism.
“There are some common concerns, but I don’t think that the notion that somehow there is going be some huge US-Russia cooperation in combating global terrorism is true because I don’t think Russia is interested in doing that with the United States,”Carofano said.
